Zutara Submerged
by LuvStarWars
Summary: Katara has finally forgiven Zuko for his crimes, and they finally have a chance at friendship - and, of course, romance! A one-shot fluffy Zutara. If I get enough reviews, I'll write more, so review! That's why this is considered an in-progress fic.
1. Chapter 1

This is a one-shot fan fic. about Katara and Zuko finally warming up to each other. In this story, Katara has already forgiven Zuko for betraying her, so now they're falling in love. Fluffy Zutaraness…

(EDIT) I ressubmitted this because a wise reviewer pointed out that the kiss happened far to fast, and I wanted to add some dialoge in that would hopefully make it more believable.

**Zutara Submerged:**

Katara took in a deep gulp of steamy air as she stepped into the hot spring. The whole gang rested lazily at the bottom of the canyon below the Western Air Temple, where thousands of hot springs bubbled up from the earth, spilling into each other and sending jets of steam into the air. Katara loved the feel of the soothing water droplets on her skin. Finally, a chance to rela-

Aang leaped into the hot spring with a tremendous splash, sending great waves of hot water everywhere. Zuko yelled with annoyance from the rocks nearby, though he hadn't really gotten wet. He hadn't gotten into the water yet.

"Hey, Zuko!!" Sokka shouted from the water. "Let's see if you can make a bigger splash!" he challenged.

Zuko frowned distastefully and Katara giggled to herself. The boys, meaning the Duke, Teo, Haru, Sokka, and Aang, were trying to see who could make the biggest splash in the main hot water spring. The Avatar, being a waterbender, could beat everyone else by a landslide – or, perhaps, a waterslide. Teo couldn't participate directly, but he and Toph were active judges over in the shallower waters.

Of course, Zuko didn't really care to join in. He just sat alone on the rocks with his feet in the water, watching everyone else splash around and laugh. Save his feet, he was perfectly dry. Occasionally, a smile would break over his face as the others played around, but other than that he remained motionless.

Katara found herself staring thoughtfully at the firebender. He never joined in any of their games, but he seemed perfectly content to just sit back and watch. Katara wondered if he even knew how to have fun. He seemed to enjoy training – that was basically the only thing he did all day, sometimes with Aang, Toph, or Haru, and sometimes alone. Sometimes he would even have a duel of swords with Sokka, but he never fought Katara.

Drumming her fingers on the rocks absentmindedly, Katara searched Zuko's face, trying to see what he was thinking. He was always so mysterious… she couldn't stand it! What was he always thinking about?! It killed her not to know…  
The logical side of her mind told her it was none of her business, but that didn't stop her from being curious.

"Katara!" Aang called, shattering her thoughts. "How about you try?"

Katara glanced over at Zuko and noticed his gold eyes flicker her way, but he quickly looked away. A mischievous grin spread over Katara's face.

"Sure, I'll give it a shot!" She scrabbled up onto a large rock overlooking the great bubbling spring, keeping close to Zuko's place on the rock. He seemed to catch on just as she leaped from the stone towards the water below. He tried to move away, but it was too late. Katara's incredible cannonball soaked him through.

Katara surfaced and took a gulp of moist air, sweeping her dark hair out of her eyes. She looked at Zuko's pale face, and, for a second, she thought he would yell. But he didn't. He was completely quiet. For a long moment, the two just stared at each other. No one spoke, all anxious to see what Zuko's reaction would be.

Suddenly, a smile spread over his face. A gleam of mischief shone in his eye just before he leaped from his perch on the rocks. He tackled Katara in the water and the two went almost to the bottom.

As she sank to the depths of the spring, several thoughts shot through Katara's head all at once.

"_I knew he was evil! He's trying to drown me!"_

"_That's stupid! He knows you're a waterbender, genius!"_

"_So he _can_ smile. It really makes his eyes glow…"_

"_What are you thinking?! He's your ENEMY!! You're not supposed to think he's cute!"_

"Former_ enemy, and that makes all the difference…"_

"_Snap out of it, you idiot! Kick! Swim!"_

Katara focused her sight underwater and almost gasped away all her air at the beauty of the hot spring's depths. The pale light of the sun danced over the rocky bottom, broken again and again by frenzied bubbles coursing through the water like a wild heart beat. Stones covered with algae in thousands of colors littered the spring floor, and octofish lunged about, searching the rocks for a stray lobsterfrog.

Searching through the vast clouds of pearly bubbles, Katara finally spotted Zuko swimming into a little rock tunnel radiating misty light. She kicked after him, amazed at how fast, and with such ease, he cut through the water. She had a hard time following through the thousands of upward currents thrusting hot water to the surface. Every time she passed over a jet of warm water, she had to fight to keep from giggling at the tickling liquid.

Rounding a bend in the rocks, Katara found herself in a thin, upwards, rocky tube lit with pale white light from above. Zuko was already at the surface, treading water.

Katara swept her arms back and rocketed through the water to the surface, powered by her waterbending. She shot out of the water and arched backwards, flying right over Zuko's head and back into the water behind him in a graceful leap. She swam playfully through his beating legs and came back up in front of him, sucking in a long breath of air. Finally, she had a chance to look around.

They both tread water in a thin grotto. A rocky overhang and a thin waterfall slipping from its edge made a sort of closet out of their surfacing point, sheltering them from a slightly larger cave on the other side. From the strange light source, it looked like there was a hole in the top of the outer cave that let a little light inside, but for the most part, the grotto was shaded in a wintry blue-gray.

Finally, Katara's eyes rested on Zuko. His dark hair was plastered to his head, covering most of his face in dripping bangs. Katara laughed, listening to it echo in the tiny space, and parted Zuko's hair out of his eyes.

"That's for splashing me," Zuko said cheerfully.

"And now you're _completely_ soaked," Katara returned smartly, but a happy smile also lit her eyes. They stared at each other for a little while, until Katara finally blushed and looked away.

"_Why did you blush? You aren't starting to fall for him, are you?!"_

"_He seems like a nice guy, now that I know him a little better. I can like whoever I want!"_

Katara glanced over the small cave again, trying to distract herself from her own thoughts. "This place is beautiful," she observed. "The blues are so calming." She lay on her back in the water and kicked around in circles, listening to the rhythmic slap of the waterfall against the pool. Almost in a daze, Katara let her eyes slip shut, bending the water in the cave into a gentle cyclone that propelled her around and around – around and around Zuko.

Suddenly, something slipped against her submerged arm, such a gentle touch that Katara wasn't sure if she'd actually felt anything. But on her next turn through the grotto, she felt it again. The brushing touch sent a warm tingle up her spine, and it made her heart skip. On every cycle, the touch grew broader, like more of Zuko's hand was making contact with more of her arm. It lingered over her skin as she passed, caressing her palm and playing with her fingers. Finally, Zuko's whole hand brushed over her arm and caught hold of her hand. Katara slowly spun around, lessening the power of her waterbending until she found herself slowly twirling in Zuko's arms.

Katara still lay on her back in the water, and they still turned leisurely, but this time, Zuko supported her with a strong hand on her back, and another holding her hand. Katara stared into his eyes. It seemed like they were the only objects not affected by the reflected blue colors of the water. They were so golden, so deep… The waterbender's cheeks turned bright red, but it didn't show in the cool light.

"You seem so calm," Zuko observed. "I honestly thought you would be freaking out…"

"I… I don't see why…" was the only thing Katara could think of to say. She was about to add just for good measure that she wasn't afraid of him, even though, in that quiet moment, she was absolutely petrified, but it just didn't seem right to say. It would end the moment… It sounded corny later on, but right then it was the most romantic thing Katara had ever thought in her entire life. Instead, she managed to say, "I don't see why I should be afraid… when it all seems so…"

"Natural?" Zuko finished.

Katara nodded, staring up at him. Her playful side couldn't resist this opportunity. "And I didn't know _you_ would be brave enough to do something like this… I mean, to _me_ of all people."

Zuko smiled mischievously and Katara felt her heart flutter. He _did_ have a cute smile.

"I'm brave enough to do this…" he replied.

He leaned over her, dipping his head into the water, into her lips. They kissed below the surface, their spinning taking them deeper and deeper into the water. They continued to twist, finally finding themselves standing at the bottom of the grotto. It was almost like they weren't even underwater.

Katara threw her arms around Zuko's neck, cutting bubbles out of the water. Zuko wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, the embrace's warmth magnified in the hot spring water. They lost themselves in their kiss, and almost forgot to come up for air, until Zuko pulled away suddenly and kicked for the surface. Katara followed, and they burst from the water in a shower of sparkling droplets, both gasping for air.

"Wow…" was all Katara could manage by the time she caught her breath.

* * *

"Hey, there you two are!!" Sokka exclaimed as Katara and Zuko resurfaced in the wide pool. "We thought you got lost down there!"

_I guess we kind of did_, Katara thought, blushing at Zuko's smile.

* * *

Okay, it's kind of OOC for Katara, but I think that once she gets over Zuko's past, she'll LUV 'im. It's also a little OOC for Zuko, but I just couldn't help myself… Besides, he seemed perfectly okay with cuddling Mai, and Katara is ten times more awesomer than Mai… so I figured, "Eh, what the heck…" Zutara! Yay… And that's right, I said LOBSTERFROG!! I need to make a sketch of that sometime… could be quite interesting… Anyway, hope you enjoyed! And remember, REVIEW, and you could see some more of these really soon! 'For You's' next chapter is comin' up soon, so please be patient!! Thank you all and God bless!


	2. Chapter 2

The second Zutara one-shot in my series. It's kind of OOC in the beginning, and the title is corny, but I don't care! This one's got a bit more dialoge in it, because I like having Zuko and Katara talk to each other…

**Special Announcement**: How about that Avatar finale trailer from the New York Comic Con? Zutara much? If you haven't seen it, there are like half a dozen versions on You Tube, so GO SEE IT RIGHT NOW!! DON'T READ THIS FIC UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN IT!!

Review please, even if it's only two words, I don't care, just REVIEW!!

**In the Arms of My Star**

The stars shone like fields of glitter on black ink, with a giant marbled pearl button as the full moon high above, illuminating the royal azure eyes of a young waterbender wandering the Southern Air Temple. Where had that firebender gone off to?

Katara moved silently through the temple's open halls, searching for her dear friend. Passing the main fountain glowing in the moonlight, she paused and smiled. For there Zuko lay.

Katara had to clamp her hand over her trembling lips to keep herself from laughing out loud. Zuko lay on the fountain basin's wall, sprawled on his back with his left hand brushing the ground, and his right arm thrown over his eyes. His mouth hung slightly open under his tousled black hair. But the silliest thing about him was that Momo lay on his rhythmically rising and falling chest. The lemur was curled into a ball, his head resting on Zuko's left shoulder, and his tail wrapped loosely around the firebender's neck. Momo's long, leap-shaped left ear brushed against Zuko's cheek, so that every now and then Zuko's nose twitched, or his right hand feebly swatted at the lemur. Other than that, he was perfectly still.

Tip-toeing closer, Katara leaned in to Zuko, watching him fondly as he slept. He had certainly exhausted himself training Aang that afternoon. Katara smiled again, playing carefully with Zuko's obsidian hair. She leaned closer and was about to give him a soft kiss on the cheek, but Zuko moved at the last minute, and their lips connected. Katara blushed furiously, but she didn't pull away. She was still getting used to the firebender's warm kisses.

Momo suddenly sat up, startling Katara out of the kiss. Zuko sat up, forcing the lemur into his lap, and rubbed his eyes.

"I… I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry," Katara apologized sheepishly.

Zuko blinked his gold eyes at her, but he smiled. "I wasn't sleeping. Just resting."

Katara finally remembered what she was there for. "I'm taking Appa for a ride. He can't seem to sleep, and he hasn't gone for a fly in a while, so I thought the exercise would be good for him. I just wanted to know if you were interested in coming."

Zuko nodded, but he still looked tired. Katara was about to ask if he really felt up to it, but Zuko was already heading for the chamber where Appa slept. Momo climbed up to Zuko's shoulder and sat there, his tail still resting around Zuko's neck.

Katara found it deeply amusing how the animals had taken so well to Zuko. Of course Appa loved him because he had set him free from the Di Li in Ba Sing Se, and when Momo learned of the heroic deed, he instantly latched onto the Fire prince. He was always sitting in Zuko's lap at dinner, resting on his shoulder during Aang's training, and, like a few moments earlier, sleeping on Zuko's head or chest. It entertained Katara to no end to see Zuko's perplexed face whenever the white lemur would curl up near him, but he never pushed the creature away. Who knew the Fire prince had such a way with animals?

Following Zuko through the dark halls to Appa's chamber, Katara could see the firebender's head nodding as he walked. She hurried to his side and touched his arm, making him pause.

"You know, you can go to bed if you want," Katara assured him, smiling. "You look really tired."

"I'm fine," he denied calmly. "Besides, you said you wanted the company."

"I didn't say that!" Katara argued, becoming impatient. Firebenders could be so stubborn…

"You were thinking it." With that, Zuko walked past her and entered Appa's room. Katara could hear the bison's growl of affection. She threw her hands up with an exasperated sigh and followed.

Zuko was already sitting on the bison's head waiting for her when she entered. For some reason, Katara picked up the subtlest vibes that he just wanted to get this whole thing over with and go back to sleep. She hated it when he was moody like that…

Suddenly, Katara's own rattled feelings took hold of her, and she paused just before mounting the bison. Zuko waited for a long minute before turning to stare at her, his golden eyes flashing with tired annoyance.

"Well?" he demanded.

"I was just thinking…" Katara began, rubbing her chin and deliberately speaking slowly. "Maybe Appa should just try to rest. It'll only make it harder for him to sleep if we take him flying and get all that blood flowing…"

Zuko sighed deeply. "All right then," he agreed, not really wanting to argue. From somewhere deep inside, Katara's conscience twanged with guilt, but she wouldn't let herself back down. Zuko had just begun to climb off of Appa's head when she continued,

"No, no, he should really get some exercise. The fly will tire him out and he'll be able to go to sleep easier."

Zuko was visibly erked now. He glared hard at her, his warm golden eyes turning as icy as the South Pole's wild glaciers before turning and retaking his seat on Appa's fuzzy skull. He waited, eyes narrow, back stiff. Katara smiled cruelly, but she suddenly found herself admiring him. It was hard not to do in fact. She found herself lost in his eyes quite often. Now, the moonlight from the open-air windows and vents in the ceiling gave his face an attractive glow, and his rich obsidian hair fell into his eyes in the most adorable way…

"Are we doing this or not?!" Zuko suddenly demanded, startling Katara out of her trance. His tone made her blood boil. What was his problem?!

"Well if you feel so upset about it, I won't force you!" Katara exclaimed, balling her hands into fists. "I'll just take him flying some other time!" And with that, he stomped away, leaving Zuko simmering and more than a little disappointed in himself.

* * *

Katara glared at the wall, her head buried under her pillow. She was mad because she'd been stupid. But so had Zuko! Why did he have to be so difficult?!

Of course she had wanted Zuko's company! She liked to just be near him, but for him to say so like that infuriated her to no end – especially since it was true. Why'd he have to be so smart about it?!

Katara's heart ached. Of course he was only consenting to please her. He knew she was lonely, and despite the fact that he was utterly exhausted, he was still willing to accompany her. Still, she would rather have gone alone than to put up with his forced manners. She was touched that he would be so quick to please her, but his blatantly uninterested manner held no charm for her. Why did he have to be so darn proper…

A soft knock at the door nearly made Katara jump. Her stomach tightened when she guessed who it was. She didn't bother to get up.

"Yes?"

"It's me… Zuko."

The hesitating awkwardness in the prince's voice startled Katara more than anything else. It was so different from the impatient fatigue she had heard only ten minutes before. What could he be doing… Katara's curiosity overwhelmed her anger and she couldn't stop herself from saying,

"Come in."

There was a long pause, and Katara wondered if maybe Zuko hadn't heard her. She was just about to repeat the order a bit louder when the wooden door peeked open. Katara refused to turn. If she did, she'd be caught up in those golden eyes, that perfect hair, those strong arms… no, she was still trying to be mad.

"Katara…" Zuko's voice came from the doorway, surprising Katara once again with its nervous tenderness. Every time she heard her name come from the prince's lips, an explosion of warm fuzzies and tingles would race up her spine and warm her heart. She liked the way he said it… Katara found herself longing to hug the Fire prince and apologize for overreacting. A guilty tear escaped her azure eyes, but she forced herself to remain still. She would hear what Zuko had to say first.

Zuko slowly entered the room, leaving the door slightly ajar to Katara's relief. "I…" began he firebender, unsure, "I'm taking Appa for a ride. He could use the exercise. Would… would you like to come? I… I would really enjoy your company."

Katara smiled from under her pillow, feeling her insides warm. Without a thought, she jumped out of bed, throwing her pillow into the wall, and sprang into Zuko's waiting arms for a hug. The strength of his embrace told her that he was fully awake now, and Katara smiled as she rested her head on Zuko's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Zuko whispered in her ear, sending a warm jet of air down her neck, tickling her skin. "I was a jerk."

"We were both jerks," Katara said, pulling away and giving him a smile. "And I'd love to take a ride with you."

Minutes later, they both sat on Appa's furry head, Zuko holding the reins.

"Yip yip," he cried, and Appa shot off into the sky. Katara squealed at the speed and clung to Zuko for balance, even though she didn't really need to. She just liked being so close to him. Even as she admired the stars and the moon in the sky, and the silvery canyon below them with the air temple tucked beneath it like a web of shadows and eroded marble, Katara found her thoughts focused on Zuko. He let her tuck her arm in his and lay her head on his shoulder. In fact, he laid his own head on her hair and just breathed in the fresh, crisp scent of her chocolate locks. His grip relaxed on the reins, and Appa just glided around above the canyon, enjoying the company.

They flew in silence for a long time, just enjoying the silent night and the warmth of the other. Katara sighed every few minutes, so content she almost wanted to shout about it. But she couldn't do that. No, of course she couldn't. It was so quiet and peaceful that if she spoke, she would ruin the spell the moon and the firebender beside her had cast on her heart.

Besides, Katara thought when she suddenly heard the even breathing of her companion, it would wake up Zuko…

* * *

Okay, so, second Zutara fluff-fest. They may seem a bit OOC, but I can really imagine them arguing about stuff like this. Anyway, that's half the reason why we love Zutara so much!! Next fic coming soon if I get enough reviews. So please REVIEW!!


	3. Forgiveness

Phew! This is my longest oneshot so far – about twelve pages – and it's probably the moodiest. It's the Avatar chapter we've all been dying to see: the Zutara Forgiveness scene! I know this is out of order with my other oneshots, but I got this idea for the forgiveness scene and I just couldn't forget it. Post BR, which actually makes my first two post BR too. But I'm NOT going to go back and make them more story compatible because I like them too much the way they are. Hope you enjoy, and please, please review on this one! This is my favorite so far, and I really want to know what you guys think about my portrayal of the Zutara forgiveness scene. I know it seems really… weird, but hormones and deep-seated hatred does stuff to people. :)

**Forgiveness**

Katara glared at Zuko over the campfire as he passed the teacups around. She knew he knew she was boring her icy eyes into him, but to Katara's increasing frustration, he didn't acknowledge her simmering fury. Why didn't he fight back?

For several days, Katara had been doing everything humanly possible to show Zuko he wasn't welcome there. A glare here, a cruel joke there, a few not-so-subtle changes in direction whenever she saw him coming up the same hall… Zuko would be hopelessly stupid if he didn't take a hint, and yet, he acted like he didn't. Katara tried again and again to provoke him, to get him to slip even a little bit so she could have a reason to beat his socks off, but Zuko refused to give her the satisfaction. His return stares were polite, he never defended himself against her sick cracks, and he utterly ignored her in the halls. So the question remained to be asked:

Why did she continue to hurt him?

Sokka himself told her how Zuko had helped him save Suki and Hakoda, her own father. So why did Katara still refuse to accept him? Her father was safe – he was _alive_ – because of Zuko. That alone should have been enough to smother her deep-seated bitterness.

But no. Somehow, her anger and pain survived. It even strengthened. Katara herself, deep down inside, knew it wasn't healthy. Every day she felt sicker, weaker, more miserable. But she couldn't let go of the pain this man had dealt her pride. She'd trusted him – they'd very nearly become _friends_ in that cave – and for Zuko to turn his back on that was unforgivable.

Katara started out of her thoughts when Aang, sitting next to her, gave Zuko a cheerful 'thank you' as he took his tea. Zuko moved beside Katara and held out the tray for her to take the last cup, and Katara could almost watch him brace himself for a glare. Katara dutifully delivered it, and Zuko graciously accepted it without a word as she took her cup from him, purposefully forgetting her 'thank you.'

The lively chatter around the fire fell dimly on Katara's tired ears as she numbly sipped her tea. When once she would have happily joined in, now she just didn't care. The playful banter of her friends interested her very little nowadays. The only reason she stuck around now instead of crawling off to a much needed rest was to wait – to wait for Zuko to become the subject of discussion so she could put in her evil two cents. But this rarely happened anymore. Aang's firebending was coming along, and Zuko pretty much kept his personal thoughts and feelings to himself, preferring to just listen instead of talk. The gang was accepting him, and Katara hated that.

Finally, Katara gave up waiting. She was exhausted, and she refused to show Zuko that. Without a word, she rose from her mat and retreated from the friendly chatter and the soothing warmth of the fire. She wandered the temple aimlessly, seeking rest and comfort, but finding only pain and bitterness. She longed for this conflict to end, but she also longed for revenge, something she could never recall wanting before. Zuko would never catch her with her guard down again…

In the midst of all this brooding, Katara found herself at the main fountain, illuminated by the crescent moon and her friends, the stars, above. Katara stared into the fountain, lulled by the swirling mists and dancing waters. But she refused to let them convince her to sleep. She didn't want to sleep. The anger in her soul burned too much for her to rest. She had to release it. Now.

In a whirl, Katara bent an orb of moonlit water from the fountain. She snapped it out into a water whip, then tugged it back into a ball – a trick she'd learned what felt like long ago, when she'd stolen the waterbending scroll from the pirates. Then Zuko had captured her…

Growling, Katara threw the water into the ground, watching with grim satisfaction as it exploded into a thousand starlit droplets. She sighed in exasperation, flinging some more water haphazardly into the air and letting it splat to the stone. Again and again she sucked water from the fountain, taking all her fury and pain out on her own element when she really wanted to take it out on _his_. She bent the water sharp, then slack again, cutting her arms, legs, and face over and over with her careless passion. She had to release the anger. She had to…

She couldn't. No matter how much water she spilled from the fountain, no matter how soaked she became herself, no matter how many stinging tears she shed, Katara couldn't do enough to satisfy her rage. More pain and bitter fury just replaced it.

"Are you all right?"

Katara jumped at Zuko's voice behind her, but she didn't turn. He couldn't see her like this. Her hair hung wildly in her face, her puffy eyes spilt sparkling tears, tears of weakness, and her arms, now that she noticed them, were covered in gashes glistening with fresh blood. She could feel the blood rushing to the cuts on her face as well, mixing with her tears.

"Are you all right?" Zuko repeated the question. Katara could feel his eyes examining the water stains on her dress, and the numerous puddles over the stone. That only made her more angry.

"I'm fine," she lied, gritting her teeth when she heard Zuko move closer. She expected him to apologize. Of course she wouldn't forgive him.

"I came here to practice my firebending before I went to bed," Zuko began, surprising her. "Would you like to join me?"

"Why?" Katara scoffed, looking up at the slit moon and noting the power of her bending at night. She turned to face Zuko, letting him see the wild fury in her azure eyes. "So I can kick your butt?"

Katara lunged forward, summoning a water whip from the fountain and slamming it into Zuko's midsection. He did little to avoid it, and Katara watched as he slammed into the stone, not nearly satisfied enough. She froze the water over the ground, sealing him in an icy cocoon that his natural body heat melted almost as soon as she laid it down. Flipping back to his feet, Zuko pulled out his twin broadswords from the sheath on his back.

"What, you're not going to firebend at me?" Katara demanded, disappointed to say the least. She wanted something more challenging than swords.

"I can if you want," Zuko answered dryly, surprising her. He sheathed the broadswords and sent a crescent of fire at her in one swift motion. Katara could tell he was holding back. Why?

Blocking the fire blast with ease, Katara spun and sent an arm of water at Zuko, catching the leg he had lifted to kick at her with. She pulled, again sending Zuko to the ground hard.

"You're going easy on me!" Katara exclaimed, more angry than ever. Was he _playing_ with her? How dare he!

Zuko recovered and kicked again, sending a blast of fire at Katara's head. She bent a water shield just in time. They exchanged blows, but Katara got the best of the fight. Zuko's movement were slow and jerky, like he had pulled a muscle or something, and Katara slammed him into the ground again and again. He made hardly any effort to stop her. In fact, he seemed incredibly calm.

Finally, Katara had enough. She lunged, sending a wave at Zuko. This time, Zuko blocked with a whirl of fire. Katara couldn't check her momentum in time. It sent her crashing into Zuko, and they both tumbled to the cold stone. Dazed, Katara kicked away and leapt to her feet. Zuko rose at the same moment, and they tangled in a flurry of punches flashing with fire and moonlit water. Wild tears of emotion streamed down Katara's face, but she barely noticed in the excitement of battle. Finally a challenge…

Katara threw a punch at Zuko, and he dodged at the last minute. Katara caught the smug grin on his face too late before the power of her punch sent her into his chest. Before she could pull away, Zuko wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his warm face in her shoulder. Stunned, Katara struggled, but Zuko held her tighter. Finally, the emotions raging in her soul exploded in a flood of tears, and Katara let her forehead drop onto Zuko's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Zuko held her for the longest time before the tears dulled and the flood ended.

"No!" Katara suddenly shouted, tearing away from Zuko's embrace. "No!" She turned and fled.

* * *

Katara hid in her room under her blankets all next day, despite her friend's worried questions coming through the door. They feared she might be sick, but Katara just brushed off their concerned inquiries, too miserable and cross to pay them much attention.

It wasn't long before Toph blew the door open and came stomping in, closing it hard behind her. Katara could tell she meant business.

"All right, Sugarqueen," the earthbender began, pointing an accusatory finger at her waterbending friend under the blankets, "Out with it, now!"

"Please, Toph, not now. I'm sick!" Katara realized too late it would have been better to remain quiet.

"Yeah right! You're lying Katara," Toph said sharply. "I know you're hiding from Zuko after what happened last night!"

Katara very nearly sprang out of bed.

"How did you-"

"You two were stomping around so loud, I could have heard you from all the way across the temple," Toph declared, crossing her arms. "You beat him pretty good, but it was only 'cuz he let you. Sparky was just trying to help you, you know. He figured if he let you take your anger out on him you would feel better, but you're just too stubborn to let whatever he did to you go."

"You don't understand…"

"I understand this isn't good for you, Zuko, or anyone else for that matter. It puts a lot of stress on us just watching you guys fight. Zuko is our friend, Katara, and we really want you to stay our friend, too!"

"Don't you think I already know that?!" Katara exclaimed, sitting up and facing Toph. "But forgiving him… it's just impossible."

"Why don't you actually _try_ it before you say it's impossible?" Toph demanded, turning and leaving the room, shutting the door with a slam.

* * *

The next morning, Katara emerged from her room, ignoring her friend's worried looks like nothing had happened. Deciding to attempt to be nice to Zuko put her in a… fragile mood, and if anyone so much as blinked at her wrong, she would lose it.

Katara sat down stiffly next to the pot of rice, then realized that the rice was already cooked. She stared at it dumbly for a long minute before Toph came up behind her.

"Zuko decided that, since you were _sick_, _he'd_ make breakfast for once. Pretty nice, huh?" Katara just glared icily at her, even though she knew the blind girl couldn't see it.

Grumbling under her breath, Katara scooped some rice from the pot and scooted away, not wanting to be nice to anyone anymore, least of all Zuko _or_ Toph. She ate her rice in steaming silence, grudgingly admitting that the new spices floating around in it were ten times better than the food she made. Darn those stupid, cooking, Fire Nation princes…

"Hey, Sparky!" Toph's voice rang out suddenly, almost making Katara choke on her food. "Train with me! It's time for that payback I talked about for burning my feet!"

Zuko, who'd been keeping his distance from Katara and was feeding Appa, looked up, almost as surprised as Katara. But he silently obliged, setting down the armful of hay he'd been carrying and making a wide arc around Katara to where Toph stood, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Sweetness, you too!" Toph called, really making Katara choke this time. "Just in case I hurt Sparky."

Katara whirled around, but didn't get up, glaring with all the hate and irritation in her being at the blind girl. Oh, if only she could see it…

"Up, Sugerqueen," Toph barked, "we're burning daylight!"

Clenching her fists, Katara set down her bowl and stood. She could see through Toph's game, and she knew Zuko did too. As did everyone else. They all watched in silent terror and Katara, Toph, and Zuko made their way up to the plateau above the temple to train, seriously believing that one wouldn't return.

Toph made a spiral stairway up to the overhanging cliff. Zuko let Katara go first, but she silently refused. She wouldn't have that firebender behind her. With evil pleasure, Katara watched a bead of sweat travel from Zuko's forehead to his jaw line, and he relented. Katara glared at his back the whole climb up the stairs.

They mounted the cliff and turned to take in the fierce beauty of the canyon panorama, framed in the deep mists of morning, pierced only by the cool yellow sunlight rising above the eastern horizon. Katara noticed it only vaguely. What really held her attention was the Fire Prince beside her. She knew why Toph had called her here. The earthbender had no intention of training, but serving as referee.

_She's only making this harder on me… Why? I thought she wanted me to _apologize_ to Zuko, not beat his socks off!_

"All right, you two," Toph called their attention back to her, "Let's get to it. Katara, you stand over there, Zuko, stand opposite her."

"I knew it!" Katara exclaimed, despite the fact she'd already figured it out. The blind girl was fraying her nerves extremely quickly.

"Toph…" Zuko said quietly, the slightest tinge of warning in his tone.

Toph just ignored their protests and clapped her hands. "Get to it, ladies!" she shouted. "The sun's moving faster than you two!"

Katara, muttering and spitting out insults under her breath, stomped over to a lush patch of grass by the cliff's edge. Zuko stepped away, taking his place several yards away. Walls rose up around them in a great oval, and a view tower shot up on the sidelines, offering a bird's eye view of the crude arena Katara and Zuko now found themselves standing in. Toph stood directly in the middle of the two combatants.

"I expect to feel some kick-butt bending going on here," she ordered curtly. She raised her small hand and said loudly, "Now go!" Toph dropped her hand and stepped out of the arena, raising herself up into the view box on a rock tower.

Katara hadn't even taken one step forward when she saw a huge rock wave headed straight for her. She had just enough time to slice it in half with a water sword before it smashed her into the ground. Her eyes rose from the mounds of earth lying on either side to Zuko, who had just barely dodged a snake of rock aimed at his head.

"TOPH!!" Katara thundered, "What are yo-"

"Down!" Zuko shouted. Katara's head snapped up, and she whirled around to see a boulder flying at her gut. She threw herself to the side, landing face first in a pool of mud that immediately started sucking her in.

"TOPH!!" Katara screamed again. She saw Zuko running for her, jumping over and ducking through flying boulders. A pit opened in the earth directly in front of him, and Katara thought for sure he would fall. But Zuko just threw his body into a diving position, blowing two great jets of fire out of his pointed fingers. The heat propelled him up into the air, he did a flip, landed in a roll, and kept running like nothing had happened. Katara had been so caught up in watching him, she'd hardly noticed the mud was now up to her shoulders.

I'm not about to let him save me…

Bending the water in the mud, Katara shot into the air, propelled by a water cyclone. She landed in a crouch on solid ground just as Zuko arrived. He hadn't even broken a sweat.

"What is she doing?!" he wondered, though Katara figured it was a rhetorical question. It was. Katara wouldn't have had a chance to answer it anyway, as another great roll of earth was flying at them. Zuko did a great leap, flipped, and landed on his feet just as the rock mound traveled past him. Katara shot a jet of water into the middle of the mound, blasting away a large enough gap in the wave for her to pass through unharmed.

Suddenly, the ground under Katara's feet shot into the air, and she found herself standing on a towering rock column. Similar columns blasted forth from the earth around the arena. Zuko just barely dodged them on the ground. Freezing an ice slide to the ground, Katara slid off her column and nearly slammed into him as he jumped out of the way of a rising tower directly into her path.

"Watch it!" she shouted above the rumbling of the rocks, a bit more harshly than her conscience would have liked.

"Sorry," Zuko said quietly, but it was drowned out by the noise. Katara had already turned away from him to attack the first column anyway.

For the first time in their history together, Katara and Zuko found themselves back to back, fighting earth instead of each other. Katara's watery waves sliced through solid rock, and Zuko's fireballs melted them into oblivion. But with every column they took down, three more rose up to take their place. Water and fire flew wildly through the air in a seemingly nonexistent pattern, but its commanders didn't let it slip from their control.

Suddenly, an earth tower sprung from the ground and snaked around them, shooting straight for Katara. She saw it, but too late. Her arms moved automatically to block it, but Katara knew it wouldn't be fast enough. She wasn't afraid though.

_Toph will stop the attack at the last minute, just to scare me._

But it didn't stop. Katara realized too late the earthbender meant business. She braced herself for the blow, but it never came. Instead, she found herself tossed to the ground by strong hands, and a voice she had once thought was the enemy's ordering her to drop. Katara hit the ground hard, but not as hard as if she were hit by the wild rock Toph had sent straight for her gut. Not like Zuko.

Zuko!

Katara sat bolt upright, spotting the firebender lying on his back a yard away. Toph stood motionless on the wall of the arena, her blind eyes literally unconcerned.

"You hit him!" Katara exclaimed, more shocked and angry than concerned at first. "What are you thinking, Toph?! What's gotten into you?!"

Toph only shrugged. "You'd better heal him fast," she said smartly.

Katara leapt to her feet, ready to kick some earthbender behind right then and there. "So that's what this is about?!" she shrieked. "Hurt Zuko so that I'll have to heal him, and then we're just supposed to _bond_ over that?!"

"Well, you bonded before," Toph pointed out in a lazy tone.

Stiffening, Katara looked away, her voice lowering. "That was different," she growled.

"Whatever you say, Sugerqueen," Toph shrugged again. "But you'd better heal him quick. He's pretty shaken up."

Katara whirled away and crouched beside Zuko, pulling some water from her flask and running it over his chest and stomach to check for internal injuries. His eyes were shut tight, and his breathing labored.

"You really hurt him," Katara seethed, feeling the blocked chi all throughout Zuko's upper body. "How could you do this, Toph? If you had just told me you were going to hurt him, I would have apologized sooner! I was going to be nice to him, you know! I was going to make an effort!"

"You're a stubborn person, Katara," Toph explained, making her way closer. "Even if you tell yourself you're going to be nicer to someone who's hurt you, I know you can't do it. Not without a shove. So I shoved _him_. Besides, I didn't hurt him badly. He'll be fine in an hour or two."

Katara simmered at the injustice boiling up inside her, even though she knew Toph was right. About everything. She'd never really _felt _like being nice to Zuko, and, though she hated to admit it, Katara knew that if she didn't _want_ to do something severely unpleasant – like show kindness to a sworn enemy - then she normally wouldn't. Also, as she examined him closer, Katara knew that Zuko would be fine. There wasn't a good deal of damage, and it wasn't even severe, just enough to knock him out for a few minutes and cause an ache or two.

"I… Toph, I'm sorry…" Katara sighed quietly. "I should have never made you feel like you had to hurt Zuko. I know you two were the first to become friends. And…" Suddenly, it hit Katara full in the gut that Zuko had been hurt _saving her_. He'd pushed her out of the way of danger, even though it meant putting himself into it. And he didn't know Toph as well as she did. He'd grown up in a world void of sympathy, a world where training was as deadly as the real fight. He probably expected to be hurt. And yet, he'd still saved her. "It's all my fault…" A guilty tear traced its way down Katara's cheek as she set Zuko's chi back in motion.

"As long as this has done some go-" Toph halted mid-sentence. "No way!" She raised a wall of earth in front of her, Katara, and Zuko, every muscle suddenly tensed for action.

"What is it?!" Katara demanded, not yet ready to leave her recovering patient. Zuko's eyes were just beginning to open.

"He's back," Toph said curtly. "Combustion Man's back."

That brought Katara to her feet. "What?! That's impossible! You sa - I mean, felt – that building collapse into the canyon! No one could have survived that!"

"Obviously, you're wrong," Toph snapped.

Katara wished she could see through earth at that moment. The Combustion Man couldn't have survived! It was impossible… wasn't it? But she trusted her earthbending friend – even after what had just happened – and if the blind girl said that Combustion Man was there, Katara believed her.

A groan came from behind her, and Katara knew Zuko was awakening. But she hardly had time to glance over her shoulder before a thunderous explosion shook the cliff, sending dirt falling over their heads from their rocky protection. Katara drew some water from her flask, ready for the fight ahead.

Toph, sensing Combustion Man's position on the other side of the rock wall, punched her small fist into the wall, sending a huge chunk slamming into the towering man's barrel chest. It hardly fazed him. Katara immediately leapt forward, throwing three ice daggers at Combustion Man's head. He blocked with his repaired metal arm and sent another explosion their way, which Toph blocked just in time.

By this time, Zuko had recovered his feet. And he wasn't happy.

"What did you do that for?!" he demanded to Toph. Okay, so he _hadn't_ expected Toph to actually hit him. It was still brave to push Katara out of the way of a _potential_ danger, wasn't it?

Katara shook the thought from her mind as another rocking explosion shook the ground under their feet. Zuko's frustration vanished instantly.

"What was that?!" he exclaimed. "It sounds like-"

"Combustion Man?" Toph finished. "Yeah, that's 'cuz it is."

"How did…" Zuko's brow furrowed, and he glanced to Katara for a theory.

"How should I know?" she snapped unintentionally, earning herself a stone cold glare from Toph.

Before anyone could say anything, the rock wall in front of them shattered into a thousand rocky shards and flaming chunks of earth. Combustion Man stood over them, his black eyes void of mercy. Toph lunged first.

The blind girl hit him with a rock snake from the earth, which he only deflected with another fiery explosion. The blast sent Toph flying backwards, but she caught herself, hooking her feet into the ground. Zuko attacked next, pulling out his twin broadswords and slicing wildly. Combustion Man dodged with surprising ease for so much bulk, and delivered a stunning kick to Zuko's stomach, sending him into the dirt.

Katara leapt forward, snapping a water whip at the hulking brute and splashing him in the face. She froze it at the last minute to his face, forming an icy mask. Combustion Man staggered back, allowing Katara to blast him in the gut with an ice column, but his loss of balance didn't last much longer. His third eye lit with energy, and the ice was incinerated. Combustion Man sucked in a breath for another attack, and Katara tried to retreat, but she couldn't move fast enough.

Suddenly, her entire field of vision lit with orange flames, dancing wildly around her, shielding her from the oncoming explosion. Katara was still thrown backwards, but that was better than being blown to bits. To her surprise, Zuko leapt in front of her, sustaining the fiery shield.

Katara's mouth dropped open, her eyes staring in awe at the firebender before her. He drew flames from the shield and unleashed them on Combustion Man in a fury she'd never seen him unleash on anyone other than Aang and his friends. Combustion Man dodged most of the attacks, but some caught him, and he was forced backwards.

This time, Katara could really be impressed. He might have expected mercy from Toph, but Zuko had just thrown himself in front of the Combustion Man, probably one of the three most ruthless people in the world. That made him either foolishly brave, or incredibly stupid. Katara found herself settling on the first.

"Katara, Toph, don't let up!" Zuko suddenly shouted, calling Katara's attention back to the present. "We have to push him off the cliff!"

"Yeah, 'cuz that worked so well last time!" Toph retorted, running up next to him. But she obeyed, kicking an enormous boulder at the Combustion Man, who punched it into a thousand pieces. Katara, however, still found herself dazed. That was the first time Zuko had ever said her name…

"Katara!" The word escaped Zuko's lips again in a desperate shout. "Attack, now!"

Katara obeyed, rising to her feet and sending several dozen watery blades at Combustion Man, who was already finding it difficult to block Toph, Zuko, and find an opening to attack. One of the water knives caught his upper arm, slicing it deep, and another opened a gash in his good thigh. Zuko took the opening and charged a fire blast, unleashing it in a swirl of smoke. Combustion Man broke the flames up just before they reached him, but the momentary distraction was enough for Toph and Katara. The earthbender summoned a wave of earth, knocking Combustion Man towards the edge. Katara sent a blast of ice into his gut. Zuko jumped forward and spun in the air, kicking fire into Combustion Man. The giant tried to block the combined attacks, but he failed. His last failure.

With one last blast, Toph, Katara, and Zuko unleashed their final fury on the toppling brute, sending him once and for all over the edge of the cliff. They all rushed to the edge, watching in exhaustion as he disappeared into the mist at the bottom of the canyon. A collective sigh of relief rose up from the three, who immediately began the descent to the temple below. Enough excitement for one day.

Aang, Hakoda, Sokka, and Suki rushed toward them as soon as their feet met the stone of the temple.

"Are you all right?!" Sokka demanded first. "We heard explosions, and… and was that _Combustion Man_ we just saw fall off the cliff?!"

"Don't rush us, Snoozles," Toph ordered, holding up her hand to silence the young warrior. "We've had a hard morning."

Aang approached Katara, his young gray eyes full of worry at the bruises and dirt staining her skin and clothes. "Katara, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Aang," she reassured him, forcing a tired smile at the airbender. But her mind was wandering elsewhere. As soon as she could, she retreated from the questions of her friends and to the peace of her room – away from Zuko.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Katara breathed a deep sigh of relief. Had all of that really just happened? Zuko had saved her twice. The first time, it had only been training, but even then he'd been hurt. The second time… he could have _died_. He'd thrown himself in between her and Combustion Man, even after all she'd done to him.

Why? Why would he do it? What could he possibly gain…

_Ugh! Stop that! Stop thinking like he's the enemy! Obviously, you were wrong. Very wrong._

Katara spent the next few minutes healing her bruises, and the rest of the day resting and thinking. She needed to erase her old mindset. Zuko was no longer the enemy. He'd proven himself more than once, but she'd just been too stubborn to acknowledge that until now. It was time for that to change…

* * *

The sinking sun painted the sky rosy pink as it gazed at the world in the last moments of daylight. Katara found Zuko staring at it, just watching as it traveled lower across the horizon. At first, she just approached quietly from behind, still unsure of what she would say once she greeted him. How would she apologize? Would he accept it? Katara's stomach churned. It had never been so hard to apologize before…

"Are you all right?" The question sprang from her lips before she realized what she was saying. Zuko turned around, startled, and Katara was immediately self-conscious. "The battle… were you hurt?"

"No…"

They stared at each other for a long minute, Zuko waiting patiently for Katara to say something, and Katara waiting most impatiently for her mind to come up with something to say. Finally, she just came out with it.

"Zuko… I'm sorry." The Fire Prince's gold eyes widened, but he said nothing, allowing her to continue. "I mean, I should have seen that you were really good after what you've done for Aang, for Sokka, for my father and Suki, and now for me… I'm sorry I was so harsh, and I hope that maybe we can be friends after this." There. Done. But now what?

Katara looked up, trying to figure out what Zuko could possibly be thinking. She relaxed when she saw nothing but relief in his gold eyes. But guilt quickly replaced that shine.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Zuko said quietly. "I deserved every glare you gave me."

"You saved my life!" Katara insisted, warming up to this whole apology thing. "And you saved my father! And you're teaching Aang firebending, a skill he desperately needs to learn. _And_ you've changed… sincerely. The least I could do is thank you!" she looked down at the ground, her voice soft, gentle. "The least you can do is accept that and move on."

Zuko said nothing, and Katara moved closer, trying to think of something to say that could possibly convince him she had forgiven him. Finally, she gave up, and lunged. The surprise she saw in Zuko's eyes for a split second disappeared as she wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, feeling him rest his arms across her back. Finally, in that forgiving embrace, all the anger, pain, guilt, and hatred that had burned at her soul lifted away, following the sun behind the mountains.

From the shadows of the temple, a pair of feet witnessed the scene, and a smile of satisfaction spread over Toph's face. "_Finally_…" she whispered to herself before leaving the two new friends in peace.

* * *

I brought Combustion Man back for a few pages, and I killed him again... Anything for Zutara! And you'll notice I added two scenes from the avatar finale trailer in there. First person to guess gets an imaginary cookie! The next oneshot will be a lighthearted one, which will be good for me after so much Zutara angst! I mean, I love it, don't get me wrong, but too much can make you moody… Review please! I really want to know what you thought of this, since it's such a pivotal part of the Zutara story. By the way, 'OOC,' for a reviewer who asked (you know who you are), means 'out of character.' :)


	4. Chapter 4: Hunting Zutara

**Okay, after that dramatic, angsty Zutara marathon, I figured now would be a good time to post this silly oneshot. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!**

**Really quick, the order of these oneshots is all confused since I did the forgiveness scene. In reality, "Forgiveness" would be first, then "Submerged," "In the Arms of my Star" - oh, how I loath that name now! It's so corny! - and then this one, "Hunting Zutara." The rest will be in order, unless I choose to go back in time and confuse you guys – and myself – even more than I already have. :) Enjoy!**

**Hunting Zutara Part 1:**

Firelight illuminated the faces of the friends of the Avatar, jumping and dancing over their cheeks and foreheads as they sipped their tea and chatted. Among the babble, Sokka sat quietly, watching his little sister and the firebender sitting next to her from across the fire. Zuko scooted a tad bit closer to Katara, the movement so small that no one noticed – save Sokka and his sharp, suspicious glare.

He'd been perfectly fine with Zuko for a while now, especially after their trip to the Boiling Rock to save Hakoda, and Suki. The firebender was an essential part of the team now, and Sokka found himself, like when Toph had first joined, wondering how they could have ever gotten along without him. But ever since the mysterious reappearance – and speedy disappearance – of Combustion Man, Sokka had noticed something… different in the looks the traitor prince cast Katara. A _suspicious_ kind of different. What was even more suspicious was that Katara seemed to have no trouble _returning_ those looks.

"What's your problem?" Toph asked from beside him. Sokka had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly jumped at the sudden question. Toph had been quiet all night – like him – and those were the first three words he'd heard her utter since, "Hey Sweetness! Make dinner! I'm _starving_!"

"How did… Why? I'm- there's no problem!" Sokka stuttered, trying to throw Toph off his suspicious thoughts. He failed miserably.

"I can feel your heart pounding," Toph countered flatly. "What's up?"

Sokka returned his heated gaze to the pair over the flames. "There's just something weird going on between Zuko and Katara."

Toph raised an eyebrow, hiding a smile successfully, but Sokka didn't notice.

"I just have a strange feeling about it… I mean, they're talking… and _laughing…_ and Katara's even _smiling_ at him. I don't know, but I just thought she hated him. Now it's like they've been friends for years."

"So?" Toph queried.

"So, it's weird," Sokka insisted. "It's just so sudden! Whatever happened to, "We can't trust him," and all the evil glares she used to give him? I just don't get it!"

"And that's new because…?" Toph teased. Sokka glared at her, but the warning was lost to her. "Is it bad that they're getting along for once?"

"Of course not," Sokka admitted. "But I just want to know _how_ it happened."

"And exactly how do you plan to figure that out?" Toph asked, though she already knew the answer. She wanted to hear Sokka's oncoming victorious exclamation. She didn't have to wait long.

"I'm going to SPY!" Sokka cried, pointing his finger into the air dramatically. Suddenly, all talk was silenced, and every face around the fire turned to him. Sokka's blue eyes darted from confused stare to confused stare, letting his finger fall sheepishly. "Uuuhhh… I mean… I got something in my eye?"

"Yeah," Toph smirked, "It's called stupidity!"

The entire circle, minus Sokka, burst out laughing and returned back to their conversations. The Water Tribe youth just glared at his earthbender friend, who finished her tea contentedly, stood, and left with a smug grin on her face.

* * *

The steaming remains of the fire pit left the scent of roasted pigeon hawks on the cool night air. Sokka tried not to breath it in. The slightest noise or pressure on the ground could awaken Toph, whom he knew was sleeping not far off in the temple. She would argue with him about what he was about to do, and he didn't want to awaken the rest of the gang. For some reason, Sokka couldn't help but get the feeling Toph was defending Zuko and Katara, but why she was he couldn't figure out. Possibly because she had been the one to spur Katara into forgiving Zuko in the first place. They were both good friends of hers, and it could be that she just didn't want Sokka messing with them. But he had t-

"I knew it."

Sokka's heart stopped dead right there. He turned around slowly, head hung in shame like a guilty puppy, to face the blind girl standing behind him.

"Man, I can't sneak off without at least one of you catching me, can I?" he finally managed, scared more than a little by the blank stare in Toph's eyes.

"You're too loud."

Silence.

"Erm… ahem, look Toph, I know you don't want me to spy on Katara and Zuko, but I just have to figure out what happened. I mean, it could be that they just want us to _think_ they've forgiven each other, and then whenever they disappear they're really beating the socks off each other." Crazy, sure, but that's paranoid, protective, big brother Sokka.

"Snoozles, I felt them hug each other," Toph assured him, stepping closer. "Trust me, I can feel them splashing each other by the fountain right now. They're friends… more than friends. There's nothing to spy on that's any of your business."

"But she's _my_ little sister," Sokka argued, growing frustrated. "If Zuko wants to- wait a minute. What did you say?! They're playing by the fountain? Them? Playing?!"

Toph let out an exasperated sigh. "I can see you need some time to take this in, Snoozles. I'll let you spy tonight and see for yourself that there's nothing to worry about, but only if you promise to never spy on them again. Otherwise," she pointed a finger in the direction of his room, "you're going to bed, mister!"

Sokka frowned, but his shoulders drooped in defeat. "Fine."

Flashing him an evil grin, Toph led the way to the fountain. As they neared, the sound of shrill squeals of delight, laughing, and splashing water wandered around the corner. Toph slowed, forcing Sokka to stop.

"There, take a look," Toph ordered, stepping aside for Sokka to see around the corner. He peeked out and almost tripped at the sight.

Katara was standing in the fountain, splashing around and flinging water at Zuko, who sat on the wall with his feet in the water. They laughed and shouted as loud as they dared without anyone hearing – anyone except a stunned Sokka and a smug Toph. Sokka watched his little sister splash around with her firebender friend until they both tired out, and Katara took a seat on the wall next to Zuko.

Now came the part Sokka almost wished he hadn't seen. Katara lay her head on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko rested his head on her hair, listening to her hum quietly.

"You know, Zuko," Katara whispered, just loud enough for Sokka to hear from where he stood, "have you ever wondered… how this happened?"

"Hmm?" Sokka almost took an instinctive step forward when he realized the firebender had just smelled his sister's hair, but Toph's tiny hand clamped onto his forearm.

"This… us… how did we get this way?"

Zuko looked down at her, his eyes serious with memories Sokka could very nearly read. The fire prince was remembering all the times he'd attacked them or captured them or battled them, and how, in this moment, everything had changed so drastically. I mean, he was cuddling with the very Water Tribe girl he'd knocked into a wooden post at the North Pole, training the exact same airbender he'd hunted for three years, being friends with the same warrior youth he'd kicked head first into the snow only several months before. Sokka could see that Zuko hardly wanted to think about _how_ he'd gotten to this point in time, so long as it stayed that way for the rest of his life.

"Do we have to talk about it…"

"If you don't want to…"

"I don't."

"I'm sorry, Zuko."

Sokka watched in dumbfounded astonishment as Zuko leaned in and kissed – full on the mouth – his sister. His little sister!! Full on the mouth!!

Sokka's jaw hit the floor. The rest of his body followed suite when he fainted. Toph bent a roll of earth underneath him and quietly took him back to his room, all the while beaming at the stunned look she knew was still frozen onto Sokka's face.

* * *

**Haha, poor Sokka. He goes and spies on Katara and Zuko and doesn't even learn what he came there to learn! Instead he gets an eye full of Zutara fluff! Funny how Katara was wondering the same thing as her older brother… Maybe it's sibling telepathy or something… Okay, I'm over the angsty Zutara of the forgiveness scene. This oneshot did its job. Now on to more drama!! Not! This is a two-parter, so I hope you will find the second half of this fic funny!**


	5. Chapter 5: Hunting Zutara Part 2

T**he second part of the semi-Zutara silliness. I like this one! Poor Sokka takes a more direct approach at discovering the origin of Zutara! :)**

* * *

**Hunting Zutara Part 2:**

* * *

Zuko stared contentedly at the dancing fountain – or more precisely, the waterbender practicing in the fountain with Aang. In her white undergarments, no less. The Fire prince admired Katara's finely tanned skin, glistening in the morning sunlight reflecting off a thousand droplets of water, and her thick chocolate hair as it curled around her shoulders and down her back. Her undergarments revealed her youthful curves, but kept her relatively modest. Zuko felt his stomach flip every time the waterbender's shimmering cerulean eyes flickered towards him and she flashed him a smile.

"Sooooo…" a voice spoke up from beside him. Zuko's daydreams were shattered when Sokka sat next to him on the stone bench Toph had made for them when she got bored. "Whatcha lookin' at?" the Water Tribe youth asked lazily.

Quickly looking away from Katara, Zuko answered vaguely, "Just watching them practice…" He had no interest in dealing with Katara's prying older brother. Hopefully the warrior youth would leave soon. He was bitterly disappointed.

"Hmmm," Sokka hummed, acting uninterested. Zuko saw through his charade in less than a second. "So nothing catch your eye?"

"No."

"Hmmm… Interesting…"

Zuko spotted Katara watching them, her cheeks erupting in a deep blush. He saw the frustration pass through her eyes at her brother's ridiculous questions, and Zuko hoped she would come to his rescue and tell Sokka off. But just when she took a step towards them, Aang called her, requesting assistance in mastering a tricky wrist movement. Katara took a regretful look at Zuko and Sokka and, shrugging helplessly to the firebender, turned to help her pupil. Zuko groaned inwardly as his one chance at escape walked away.

The Water Tribe youth was just getting started in his interrogations. "So… how's it going avoiding my sister? She try to kill you in your sleep yet?"

Cringing, Zuko replied shortly, "It's fine. We're friends now."

"Wow," Sokka observed simply, "she forgave you that fast, eh? So, any idea what happened? Or just one of those random emotional girl moments?"

"Don't know… I guess she just finally accepted that I was good, or something."

"Really?"

"…"

Sokka frowned, but Zuko paid no attention. He glanced around randomly, trying not to allow his eyes to rest on the female waterbender in the fountain in hopes that a lack of interest would kill Sokka's sudden curiosity.

It didn't.

Sokka, having grown bored with beating around the bush, lowered his voice to a whisper. "Okay, listen," he hissed. "I know something's going on with you and Katara. Now, I don't care if you two are dating or whatever. All I care about is… _how_?!"

Zuko started, wondering if it was really wise to answer. Sokka had his air-brained moments, but the Fire prince knew better than to underestimate him. Maybe he really _did_ care, and would just jump on Zuko like a protective big brother if he told him the truth. But he supposed that if things got too ugly, Katara would break it up. It couldn't hurt to be honest, could it?

"Okay…" Zuko began hesitantly, "I really don't understand _exactly_ how it happened, but Katara forgave me, and when we became friends we realized we had a lot more in common than we thought. And… well, I guess it just went from there. We understand each other so well, and our personalities are a lot alike… and…" Zuko prayed he didn't sound corny.

"Hmmm," Sokka mused. "That makes sense… I think."

"Sokka! Will you leave him alone?!"

Both boys started at the shrill voice of the infuriated waterbender that had appeared out of nowhere before them. She glared hard at her brother before grasping Zuko's arm and pulling him away, her nose stuck high in the air. "Come on, Zuko!" she huffed, dragging him away. Zuko glanced back just in time to catch the perplexed look spread over Sokka's face.

* * *

**Okay, this one's really short, but I ran out of inspiration to make it any longer… The next two oneshots will be up soon (maybe tonight) because they're already written up. Hope you enjoyed! Review please! **


	6. Chapter 6: The Necklace Part 1

**Well, I think this one has to be my favorite so far. It would be far to long to write it all down here, so this fic will have two parts to it. This 'oneshot' is particularly angsty, and I absolutely love it! Review! Review!!**

**The Necklace Part 1:**

"I can't find it!" Katara cried. "I can't find it anywhere!"

"What?!" several voices demanded from around the fountain. They'd all retreated to its regenerating waters after a hard morning of training.

Katara touched the base of her neck, wishing she could feel the cool abalone shell pendant that had always rested there. But the carved necklace was gone. A frustrated tear traced its way down her cheek as she sobbed, "My mother's necklace. I've looked everywhere, but I can't find it…"

Her father slowly came to his feet and took his daughter up in a gentle hug. "Don't worry, Katara," he assured her calmly, rubbing her back with a strong hand. "We'll find it."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed as he, Zuko, and Aang stood up to comfort the distraught waterbender. "It couldn't have wandered off too far."

That little comment only earned him a glare from his little sister.

They scoured the cliff top arena Toph had created. It still carried the scars of the morning's training sessions, but none of the gang could find Katara's necklace anywhere among the rubble. Next they checked the fountains, the halls, Katara nearly turned her room inside out, but the necklace could not be found.

* * *

"It's been three days," Sokka argued as his sister, seemingly for the seven hundredth time, checked for her mother's necklace under her bed. "You need to get some rest and calm down a little."

"I can't!" Katara insisted frantically, overturning her sheets again and reaching into her pillowcase. "I have to find it! It's here somewhere, I just know it!" She sat up. "And where has Zuko been?! Why isn't he helping? He searched for one day and now he's hiding in his room or something?! I bet he's the-"

Suddenly, she froze, stunned into silence at the words that had nearly fallen out of her mouth. Sokka stared at her, shaken, having guessed the rest of the sentence from the shock in Katara's eyes. It brought back memories of pirates and a scroll, and a Zuko they both knew was gone for good. So how had those spiteful words almost come out of Katara's mouth?! How could she even _think_ such thoughts?

Katara's azure eyes lowered to the floor. "You're right, Sokka," she admitted quietly, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "Maybe I should get some rest…"

Sokka put a hand on his sister's shoulder and squeezed it gently, then turned and left the room. Her heart heavy with guilt and loss, Katara went to bed that night more miserable than she had been in a long time.

* * *

The next day, Katara took a break from searching – or as much of a break as she could without a personality shift. She put on a good face for Sokka and the gang – which was sorely lacking in her favorite firebender – but whenever she was sure they weren't looking, she would take one last glance around the campfire or the arena. The trip to the main fountain to do laundry now took her through half the temple as she tried in vain to search for her mother's necklace. Every moment she could get a quick search in, she did.

What stressed her out even more was the fact that she couldn't find Zuko anywhere. He almost seemed to be avoiding her. Katara would be walking down the hall and spot Zuko up ahead, call his name, and run forward to catch him just for pleasant company, but as soon as the firebender spotted her coming, he'd take a turn or pretend like he hadn't heard her and keep walking. Everywhere she went that day, Katara kept thinking she saw glimpses of him lurking through the halls, but she could never pin him down.

Katara found herself at a loss that entire day. Not only could she not find her mother's necklace _or_ stop looking for it, but the one person she felt could make her feel better seemed to be doing everything within his power to avoid speaking to, or even looking at her. It left her hating herself for wondering what in the world his problem was. Despite her attempts to bury them, the suspicions she'd so nearly spat to Sokka the day before, grew.

"That's crazy!" Katara exclaimed suddenly, forgetting the clothes she'd been cleaning. "Why would Zuko do that? I mean, he's changed now… he's different… isn't he?" That wasn't enough. "What would he gain from taking mother's necklace anyway? I mean, come on Katara, get real! Are you really going to let yourself believe that Zuko stole your necklace for no reason? No! It's stupid!" In her fervor to kill her suspicions, Katara swung the sopping tunic she'd been holding this whole time over her shoulder, slapping it into someone's face. She whirled around and saw with horror that Zuko was standing right behind her, now drenched in hot water and soapy bubbles.

"Ah… h-how long have you been standing there?" Katara gasped nervously, sounding not unlike her brother whenever he was caught being an idiot.

"Uhhh… no… not very long…" Zuko replied awkwardly. He'd heard the entire rant, Katara knew. At first, she thought he would run away like he had for the whole morning, but he didn't. He just stood there, golden eyes darting around in the cutest way, making Katara forget her fears. But not her embarrassment.

"Um… well," Katara stuttered, "did you, uh, want something?" She could feel the flush creep over her cheeks.

Zuko started at the question like he'd forgotten she was standing there. "Oh, no… no, I just wanted to, uhh… give you something…"

Jerkily, he pulled a small wrapped bundle from behind his back, grabbed Katara's free hand, and planted the package in her palm. Katara stared curiously at the wrapped cloth, now more nervous and awkward than ever. Zuko shifted uneasily in front of her, waiting for her to open it.

As much as Katara wanted to ask questions, she figured the best way to find out what was going on was to open the bundle. She tore the cloth away and froze. A gasp escaped her lips as she caught sight of the obsidian ribbon hung with a silver charm. The pendant had waving strands of gold beaten into it around a square hole in the middle, from which hung a tiny glistening pearl.

Her eyes glittering with tears, Katara looked up at Zuko, beaming. "How did… why did…" she couldn't even think of how to ask her questions now.

"I thought that you might feel better if you had a replacement… until you find your other one, that is. I melted a gold coin and a silver coin to make the charm, and the hot-water springs in the canyon are really good for finding pear-"

Zuko never got to finish. Katara leapt on him, throwing her arms around his neck. The firebender spun around with her, his muscles unknotting with every second she was in his arms. Katara giggled to herself. He must have been pretty nervous…

Finally, Zuko set her down, swooping in for a kiss before letting her go. Katara turned away from him and held the necklace daintily over her shoulder, blushing furiously.

"Can you help me put it on?" she inquired slyly. She could almost feel the Fire Prince smile. He took the necklace from her and put his arms around her neck, gently slipping the ribbon into place. Securing it, he ran his fingers slowly through her hair, pulling it out from under the black band and brushing it tenderly over her shoulders.

Katara's heartbeat flew as the cool silver pendant rested on her collarbone. It had an alien feel to it, but it was a sensation Katara wished would never leave. It only made her smile more when she considered the true meaning of this pendant. Oh, if only Zuko knew…

The said firebender's arms enveloped her in a strong embrace from behind, and all the thoughts in Katara's brain melted into his heat. The laundry was never completed that day.

* * *

Gasps erupted from around the fire that night as the group caught sight of the silvery pendant hung around Katara's neck. The tiny threads of gold beaten into it shimmered in the firelight, and the pearl dangling in the center glowed a fiery orange from the dancing flames that were heating their evening meal. Aang was the first to speak up.

"Wow, Katara!" the airbender gawked, "where'd you get that?"

Katara nearly blurted out her favorite firebender's name, but she caught his meaningful glance from across the fire. "Uh… I just found it outside my door with a note on it," she lied smoothly. "Pretty weird, huh?"

Toph snorted loudly from beside her, and Katara shot her a glare, wishing the earthbender could only see it. Hakoda gave his daughter a serious look, and Katara felt her face grow red. Sokka, too, was watching her severely. She'd get a serious talking to as soon as the dinner was over…

* * *

Zuko had to wonder if it was the firelight dancing on Katara's tanned skin that made her look so unusually red, or if she could possibly be blushing throughout the whole meal. His heart swelled every time she glanced down at the necklace he'd made, and he returned a smile to every secret grin she cast him. Still, Zuko couldn't help but feeling he was getting looks from someone other than Katara. Two looks to be in fact, both originating from icy blue eyes. Watertribe eyes. Zuko refused to return those stares for fear of his own life.

Hakoda and Sokka watched him carefully throughout the entirety of the meal, not even glancing down at their food to allow him to take a bite in peace. What were they so angry about?! It was just a necklace…

But when the two Watertribe warriors summoned Katara away from the fire after dinner, Zuko started to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

Before Hakoda could take a breath to prepare a lecture, Katara was speaking.

"It's not what you think!" she insisted quickly, killing her father and brother's suspicions. "Zuko and I aren't engaged. He just made me this necklace to make me feel better about losing mom's."

"Katara, I saw the looks you were giving him," Hakoda pointed out. "Even if marriage wasn't Zuko's intention, I can see that you're thinking of it that way."

Katara's eyes fell. She had to admit that she'd really liked the idea that the necklace Zuko had given her was an engagement necklace, no matter how girly, immature, and even stupid it might have been. A girl could dream, couldn't she? But that hadn't been Zuko's intention at all. The necklace around her neck was purely a caring gesture, a gift that would hopefully make her feel better. Needless to say, it made her feel very much better…

"Katara…" Hakoda continued, his tone soft, "I can see that you care for Zuko, and I've seen that he's a very responsible, trustworthy young man, but it's not right of you to assume something that isn't true. That necklace is a gift of friendship and comfort, and though your feelings for each other go deeper than that, that piece of jewelry doesn't. I think you should tell Zuko what those types of necklaces in our tribes mean, or else stop dwelling on these fantasies, okay?"

Nodding, Katara slowly removed the necklace and went to her room. If possible, she would avoid the awkward truth with Zuko and see if she could banish her engagement dreams before having to resort to the plain truth.

* * *

Zuko lay in bed, staring thoughtfully at the stone ceiling. Neither Katara nor Hakoda had returned to the fire after their discussion, and though Sokka did, Zuko could get no information from him. Now he was really worried. It probably wasn't wise to search Katara out for answers just yet, for fear he would run into her father, or her brother would start asking questions. Perhaps tomorrow he could catch her alone and talk.

A gentle knock at the door disturbed his thoughts as Zuko realized who was standing outside his door. Only Katara knocked that softly. Zuko eagerly jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put a shirt on, and opened the door.

Katara almost cringed as he opened the door, and Zuko immediately saw that the necklace he'd given her was missing from her neck. She held it in her hands, gently twisting the black ribbon as her fingers worked nervously. The waterbender didn't look at him.

"Hey, Zuko… I need to talk to you. It's really important…"

Zuko stepped aside to let her in, noting how Katara hesitated ever so slightly before stepping in. As soon as she'd passed him, the Watertribe girl turned and asked in a whisper Zuko almost didn't pick up, "Can you shut the door, please?"

He obeyed, growing anxious. "What's up?"

Katara held up the pendant for him to see, refusing to meet his gaze. Her free hand twisted furiously at her skirt. "The truth is… I… my people have a way of telling someone they love that they want to spend the rest of their lives with them, and… well, in order to announce their engagement… well, they kind of… themencarveengagementnecklacesforthewomen. Necklaces a lot like this one."

It took Zuko a good long minute to figure out what she'd just said, and an even longer minute to swallow what it implied. "Oh…"

"Yeah…" Katara agreed sheepishly. "It's not that I don't like it," she added quickly, obviously catching sight of the confusion on Zuko's face. "I really do like it, and I wish that I could wear it, and I know that it's not like you wanted to propose to me or anything, but…" Zuko watched the lump in her throat work as she gulped. "I like to think that you did…"

_What?!_

Katara bowed her head, hiding her eyes and burning cheeks from him, and Zuko could feel his own face ignite. The both just stood there for a long time, Zuko gaping from the necklace in Katara's hand, to Katara herself, and the poor waterbender just keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Neither had ever been so embarrassed in their lives.

"So…" she finally choked, "there it is. I wish I could keep wearing this, but it's too confusing, and it's not right for me to think about this necklace as an… engagement necklace when it clearly isn't, and that was never your intention. I'm sorry!" Katara quickly stuffed the choker into Zuko's hand and hurried out, forgetting to shut the door in her blind rush. For a long moment, Zuko just stood there, staring down at the charm in his hand.

* * *

**For some reason, this reminds me of "The Beach" when Zuko tried to give Mai that seashell… I suppose Katara's one of those "stupid girls" who "like stuff like this." Heehee… REVIEW!!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Necklace Part 2

**Here's the second of the angsty explosion that is "The Necklace." I know Zutara drama can be depressing, but only if they're fighting. This, on the other hand, is deliciously, evilly, awkward, and I enjoyed every minute of typing this. Enjoy and review!!**

**The Necklace Part 2:**

Zuko raced down the halls of the Air Temple, chasing the phantom waterbender he'd just seen turn the corner. He'd been searching for Katara all day, and now that the sun had set over the canyons, the glimpses he'd caught of her had become scarcer and scarcer until he began to think he was only imagining things. Why didn't she talk to him? Sure last night had been… awkward to say the least, but he wanted to talk with her about it. She couldn't avoid him forever.

Abstractly, Zuko wondered if these had been Katara's feelings the other day. He'd only been avoiding her to keep from having to give an explanation for not aiding in her search for her mother's necklace. Then his surprise would have been ruined. But he knew full well that Katara did not have the same excuse he did. She was running from him, probably furious with herself over her emotions, and the fact that she'd probably really upset him and hurt their relationship.

And that was where it got really weird.

If Zuko could have been given a chance to say anything before Katara raced away after her confession the night before, he would have admitted that her feelings didn't at all bother him. He'd been shocked, to be sure, at first, but when the first wave of surprise died away, Zuko found that the idea of his gift being an engagement pendant wasn't that strange at all. If fact, he found it rather… pleasant.

Zuko's thoughts shattered as he spotted Katara up ahead in the hall. She'd already heard him running behind her, and Zuko could see her steps quickening. Not this time…

With a burst of speed, the firebender dashed across the wall and leaped over Katara's head, stopping her in her tracks. Just for good measure, Zuko took hold of her wrists to keep the surprised Watertribe girl from running.

"Why won't you talk to me?" he demanded, keeping his voice calm.

Katara lowered her eyes, and he let her have that comfort. "Zuko, I… I was just… afraid," she admitted quietly.

He already knew the answer, but Zuko decided to ask anyway. "Why?"

Katara pushed him gently, frustrated. "You know why!" she exclaimed, her cheeks going deep fuchsia and her tone flustered. "That… I… UGH! Why do you have to be so darn confrontational?!"

_You're the one who's yelling at me!_ Zuko almost countered, but he kept his mouth shut. She didn't need him being argumentative right now. Katara tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight.

"I don't care what that necklace made you think!" he burst before Katara could struggle further. Those words froze her. "It was supposed to make you feel better, and… well if that's what makes you happy, then fine." Zuko could hardly believe those words were coming out of his own mouth. It was true, but for him to actually say it… that was something completely different.

Katara stared at him, stiller than stone. Her azure eyes sparkled with guilty tears, and she lowered her head. "I… I don't even know what to say…"

Zuko smiled sheepishly. "Yeah…"

"But, it's so weird… you know, that you're okay with it."

"Yeah…"

Katara's cheeks turned darker than Zuko had ever seen them before. "Well… what if… what if that was… no… no, never mind! It's stupid." She turned away, and Zuko let her.

"What?" he demanded. "What if what was what?"

"No," Katara refused, folding her arms to hide her growing embarrassment, "It's too weird and… awkward."

Zuko spun her around and looked her straight in the eye, a curious smile spreading over his face. "Please tell me?" he pleaded.

Katara refused to look him in the eye. "Whatifengagementwaswhatthatnecklacewasreallyfor…"

Zuko stared at her for a second, trying to decode her mumbling. "What was that?"

Katara sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh. "I said: WHAT IF ENGAGEMENT WAS WHAT THAT NECKLACE WAS FOR!!" she screamed so loud Zuko could barely make out the words. The instant he sorted his jumbled thoughts and the hearing returned to his ears, Zuko realized that Katara had bolted.

* * *

Katara raced away from Zuko as fast as possible. How could she have said that?! He'd think she was bizarre, stupid, awkward, silly… everything that could possibly be wrong with her. And all those things probably _were_.

Why did she have to be so truthful? So 'out with it'? It only made things that much more difficult on her, and probably Zuko, too. How was she supposed to know whether or not the firebender wanted a serious relationship? Who knew? Maybe he only liked her for now, and in a few months, after the war was over (or was hopefully over), and they all went their separate ways, he would forget about her and find someone else he liked more. The thought made her stomach knot.

No! She didn't want Zuko to leave. She wanted to stay with him… forever.

Katara froze. Did she just think what she thought she thought? Be with Zuko? Forever?

A stupid, girlish smile stole over Katara's lips. Forever… Did she really? Did she really want to spend the rest of her life with Zuko? It sounded weird, wonderful, alien, natural, and completely, totally perfect. She couldn't lie to herself on something so important.

* * *

"… and it's totally confusing!" Zuko concluded after spilling his worries to his attentive listener.

"Well…" Toph replied lazily, leaning back against the wall, "what's not to understand? She's playing 'house' with you, Sparky."

Now Zuko was even more thoroughly confused than he'd been before. "'House?' Why?"

"It's 'cuz she loves you, you Dipstick!!" Toph exclaimed suddenly. "Loves you enough to stay up late in bed imagining that you guys are married and have ten kids, and if I know Katara, she's probably already got their names planned out! She's the sort of girl who think ahead, and who only gets into relationships if she believes they're gonna be permanent."

Zuko's jaw dropped as he stared at the earthbender, utterly dumbfounded. "R-really?"

Toph ignored his question and continued, "And I think we both know you're the sort of honorable guy who only gets into permanent relationships, too."

Ouch.

Zuko, though he knew Toph couldn't really see him, gulped under the blind girl's blank stare. It brought back memories of a certain gloomy girl he'd once called his girlfriend. He'd been feeling so guilty back then, what with just having betrayed his uncle to a possible lifetime in a filthy prison, as well as the only real friend he'd ever had. Someone who cared about him and made him feel like he'd done the right thing certainly helped him to not thoroughly hate his own guts. Plus, having someone he could say was his, someone who wouldn't be taken away from him like everything else he'd ever lost in his life felt pretty good. He'd used her…

"So, what'dya say, Sparkles? How do you feel about this whole sitch-i-ation?" Toph asked in an annoyingly intuitive accent.

"Well… I think… it's none of your business," Zuko replied boldly. Toph only smirked.

"Whatever you say, Sparkles," she sighed, adding in a sing-song voice, "Sparky and Sweetness, sittin' in a tree…"

"Toph!"

"She likes you!"

"Yes?"

"And you like her?"

"Yes!"

"Permanently?"

"… I… I…"

"Out with it, Hothead!"

Zuko stumbled over the words. Yes, he loved Katara, and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her, but was he ready to commit to something like that? He was old enough to marry, as Katara was, but they'd only known each other – _really_ known each other, and _loved_ each other for that matter – for a few weeks. He couldn't make such a decision yet! It was far too soon!

"I'm not sure…"

Toph glared at him, disappointed. "I'm not saying you have to do it _now_, Sparky! You can wait, of course! You guys have plenty of time. Take it slow, enjoy the ride…" The earthbender stood slowly and pointed a threatening finger into Zuko's chest, her gaze cold on him for the first time since he could remember. "But if you hurt Katara, I don't care how good friends we are. I'll make you regret the day you turned your back on her. Katara trusts you, and she's very nearly given her heart to you, which means even more considering your history and all you've done to her. I won't let you tear her to pieces twice."

Zuko very nearly shrank away from the blind girl, but he kept himself from flinching… barely. Toph moved away, her voice calm like she hadn't just threatened his life.

"Good night, Sparky…" she said pleasantly, turning and leaving him to his thoughts.

* * *

Katara cringed at the gentle knock on her door. _Zuko…_ But her body betrayed her as her tongue automatically formed the words, "Come in."

Zuko opened the door, and Katara noticed with shock that he wore an enormous, breathtakingly handsome smile on his face. She'd never seen him smile like that before, and she immediately wished he wouldn't stop.

"Good evening," Zuko greeted her cheerfully. Okay, now she was concerned…

Katara sat up slowly in bed, awaiting an explanation to Zuko's giddy mood. He didn't give one, but just sat on the edge of her bed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before settling back to just gaze at her, an adorably boyish grin on his face.

Staring bewilderedly at him, Katara cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Zuko looked away, still smiling. "I was just thinking…"

"About what?" If ever Katara had felt nervous in her life, it was now.

"Of how I never want this to end."

Katara's confusion slowly faded from her face, replaced by a small smile that just continued to expand until the joy behind it threatened to consume her entire being. Before she could say anything, Zuko held up a hand, his smile somewhat dimmer by the seriousness of his next words.

"Not now, though," he said gently. Katara nodded her head solemnly. Of course not now. They were too young, and they had so many responsibilities already, all of which would decide the rest of their lives, not to mention the fate of the entire world. No, of course not now. But Katara's heart still swelled with the revelation that Zuko's feelings mirrored her own. He wouldn't leave her. He really loved her, and always would until death and beyond.

Zuko pulled out the necklace he'd made for her and held it up to the moonlight. "This is rightfully yours," he began quietly, drawing closer, "but if you want, I can keep it until the right time, when we're both ready for what it really means."

Katara could only nod, beaming through unquenchable tears of joy and relief.

* * *

"Here you go, Sugar Queen. You've earned this."

Katara gasped as Toph held up the familiar abalone shell necklace she'd been looking for since the beginning of the week. "When did-"

"The seeond day it was missing, I decided to take one last look around the arena, and I found it buried under a pile of rubble. It fell off and got buried during one of the battles. It was pretty dinged up, but I smoothed out all the kinks."

Katara took the necklace from the earthbender's outstretched hand and quickly replaced it around her neck, smiling at the familiar, cool shell charm against her skin. But her smile dimmed as she gazed at her blind friend. "Why didn't you give this to me when you first found it?" she demanded harshly.

"I knew Zuko was planning something," Toph explained calmly, almost innocently. Innocently. Ha! Katara nearly smirked. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your little romantic angst-fest, now would I?" the earthbender added. She turned to leave, but Katara stopped her.

"Toph?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thanks."

"Anytime, Sweetness. Anytime…"

* * *

**Four fics in one night?! Am I really that psychotic?! Anyway, I really like this one. Review, please!**


	8. Chapter 8: Zutara Impact

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS ALERT!! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE BOILING ROCK, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!**

**Thanks goes to one of my loyal reviewers for this fic idea (you know who you are! :P :). I decided to do a montage of the entire gaang's reactions to Zutara (minus Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Katara). Just random moments on random days. Hope you enjoy!**

**Zutara - Impact**

* * *

**Suki:**

"I just don't get it!" Sokka huffed as he absentmindedly threw a punch at Suki, who deflected it easily. "I mean, it makes absolutely no sense!"

"Aw, poor Sokka," Suki teased, swiping his legs out from under him with a graceful swing of her leg, "We can't have that, can we?"

Sokka ground his teeth and struggled to his feet. "Can't have what?" he snapped.

Suki threw him a sweet smile before leaping over his head and tying his arms behind his back. "We can't have something that doesn't make sense in your presence, oh intelligent warrior," she whispered fondly in his ear. "Everything has to add up, everything has to have a reason…" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before driving him into the ground. Leaving him in the dirt of the cliff-top arena, she straightened, brushing off her skirt. She still wore her jail attire, lacking anything else to wear for now.

"Honestly though, Sokka," she added, her voice serious. "I think you should just leave them alone. Your sister is happy, and Zuko – for once – is happy. Isn't that enough for you?"

"No!" Sokka replied, leaping up. "It's not enough!"

Suki frowned at him. She loved Sokka, but sometimes, he could be so frustrating! "Why not?" she demanded. "What are you so worried about?"

Sokka looked away, his voice barely a mumble. "I just… I don't want her to get hurt again…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I don't know how it happened, but back when Zuko was evil, him and Katara got locked in a cave together. Somehow… Zuko got Katara to trust him, and then he threw it in her face and betrayed us all to Azula. Katara was really upset about that, and… I just don't want it to happen again."

Suki started, frustrated and touched all at once. "You honestly think after all Zuko's done for you, for me, for everyone, that he could ever possibly still betray us?" she asked softly. "You seemed to trust him well enough when we were escaping the Boiling Rock."

"That was before this whole lovey-dovey business with Katara…"

"Sokka, you're being paranoid," Suki said with a gently giggle. "You have to trust Zuko, and be happy for Katara. They're really happy together. I've been watching them, and unless Zuko's as good an actor as Azula is an actress, there's no chance that he'd willingly hurt your sister."

Sokka looked at her helplessly, and the Kyoshi warrior just set her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. A reluctant smile tugged at Sokka's lips, and he accepted her comforting kiss gratefully.

* * *

**Hakoda:**

The smoldering cinders and gentle twists of smoke of the dead campfire couldn't break the silver streams of moonlight that fell over the gaang. They'd stayed up until the moon reached its height in the sky telling ghost stories and amusing each other with jokes, until one by one they dropped off to sleep where they sat. Hakoda, however, couldn't sleep. After the whole necklace incident with Katara and Zuko, the Chief of the Water Tribe had watched the two teens like a dragon hawk, constantly analyzing and calculating and trying not to go all hypersensitive-protective-daddy on his baby girl. Now, he was a hair's breadth away from giving up that goal.

Zuko sat against the wall, his head leaned back, breathing gently in deep sleep. His left arm – which Hakoda could have bored an icy drill through with his glare if he'd been a waterbender – was wrapped securely around Katara's shoulders. The waterbender's head rested peacefully on the firebender's leg, and a gentle smile graced her sleeping lips. Every time they shifted, Hakoda had to bite his tongue to keep from leaping up and dragging Zuko away to a very evil place.

_Oh, Kya, if only you were here…_ Katara's mother would know what to do. She would sooth his worries and tell him to loosen up. He wouldn't be so wound up if he knew his dear wife was there to watch over their daughter. But no, she wasn't there, and Hakoda found himself lost trying to figure out just how to react to the sudden romance between his daughter and the traitor Fire Prince.

Not that he thought Zuko untrustworthy. On the contrary, he trusted the firebender with his life. His daughter's, on the other hand, he wasn't so sure about…

Katara sighed in her sleep, and Hakoda felt his eyes well with tears. His little girl… she was growing up. He'd always known she was strong, responsible, brave, and fiercely stubborn, but now he could see too that she was really a grown woman. A woman who needed a man to love that would love her back. And now, she believed she'd found one. Hakoda only prayed she was right. Though he didn't like any boy being so close to his little girl, the Water Tribe warrior knew that eventually he would have to accept that fact and be happy for Katara, even if it broke his heart to think that slowly… very slowly… he was being forced to let her go.

* * *

**The Duke:**

The Duke's nose involuntarily scrunched up in distaste as he watched Zuko take Katara up in a big hug and kiss her forehead as his way of saying 'good morning.' And when Katara's face turned red and she kissed him back, The Duke's face turned green and he scrambled away to find a place to relieve his churning stomach.

What was with them?! He'd liked it better when Katara hated Zuko's guts and they all had to sleep in fear of the waterbender's wrath… anything but this festival of cooties and wild hormones.

"I think you're supposed to understand when you're older," Teo had joked when he voiced his disgust.

The Duke pouted. "You're not much older than me? How are you supposed to understand?" Teo had just patted him on the shoulder and rolled away, a knowing smile on his face.

Now, as The Duke had to sit through all Zuko and Katara's random romantics throughout the day, every day, he wondered if he even really _wanted_ to understand. Whenever he chanced to voice his opinion with a grimace and a raspberry around the couple, he always seemed to earn himself a pebble in the head from Toph, and an icy glare from Suki – both of whom seemed to be keeping close to the lovebirds ever since they started showing their feelings for each other. The Duke could only take their rebukes and scurry away before they decided to lecture him.

* * *

**Teo:**

Teo had never been swimming before, but it was fun enough just to watch – especially now that Zuko and Katara were finally friends. Better than constantly fearing for your life if you twitched wrong. As he watched the lovers splash around in the hot-springs at the depths of the canyon, he found himself smiling contentedly. They were really good for each other, and it was good to see them finally getting along.

A loud sigh next him disrupted Teo's attention, calling him back to the blind earthbender sitting on the rocks beside him. Her blank eyes stared out over the water, fixed forever on an invisible point that magically landed right where Katara and Zuko were playing.

"It's nice that they're not trying to kill each other anymore," she commented randomly, apparently sensing Teo's reminiscing.

"Yeah," Teo agreed, "and it's just as nice to get a good night's sleep for once."

"You might," Toph snorted, folding her arms, "but I have to stay up all night listening to those two chase each other around the temple or splash in the fountain or even just talk! I swear, you'd think they never sleep!" Despite her complaints, Teo smiled, knowing the earthbender didn't mind so much as she said. She'd gotten the two to forgive each other in the first place, not to mention she was the one – Suki jumped in when she could – who always interrupted Sokka whenever he bugged them. She and the Kyoshi leader were like their bodyguards, always making sure they had the privacy they deserved, and though Teo agreed with them, he dared not get in the way of theirs and Sokka's entanglements over the happy couple.

"I suppose they just have a lot to talk about," he said aloud, "getting to know each other, and all. I think they find it interesting that they have so much in common and their personalities just click so well. It certainly gives them a lot to say, and it makes you want to be closer to someone when you have something in common."

"Yeah, I suppose so…"

"So you're rooting for them too?"

"You're looking at their biggest fan."

* * *

**Haru:**

If Haru could have picked one of his least favorite people of all time, Zuo would make the top five. Not that he didn't trust him. The Fire Prince had proven himself completely over the past few weeks. Not that he was biased by the fact Zuko was Fire Nation. It helped them a great deal, considering all the inside information he could give them. Not that he thought Zuko didn't pull his own weight. The firebender did his own work and more. No, none of those things.

It was because of Katara.

Once, he and the waterbender had shared a connection. Haru had opened up to her about his father, a topic he'd avoided with everyone, even his own mother. Then Katara had strengthened that connection by revealing her own feelings about the loss of her mother. Haru had thought they had bonded. But now, it seemed like the Water Tribe princess had forgotten their connection completely, tossing his friendship – and deeper feelings – to the side for her dear Fire Prince. Had she forgotten him so easily?

Sure they hadn't seen each other in a few months, but Haru had never forgotten Katara in all that time. It wasn't just because she'd become a hero to his village. She really meant something to him, especially because she had given him the courage to fight the Fire Nation. She'd taken his longing for justice and helped him take it a step further by turning it into action. She'd strengthened him, encouraged him…

Perhaps even loved him?

Now it seemed all those feelings had vanished. Now all Haru could see Katara thinking about was Zuko's embrace, his warm kisses, and his smile. Now, she rarely acknowledged the earthbender with anything more than an absentminded 'hi.' It was like he didn't even exist anymore.

Grimacing, Haru stalked away from the fountain where they had all taken refuge after a morning of training, claiming he wanted to practice some bending on his own for a while. Really, he just wanted to escape the dreamy gazes, the hugs, the smirks, the blushes, the kisses…

Really, he just wanted to have Katara back, though he knew he never would…

* * *

**Aang:**

"Hey Katara, I need some help with this move!"

Katara halted her progression towards the firebender sitting nearby, turning with some reluctance to assist her 'struggling' pupil. Good. He had her attention again…

Aang lost no time in throwing a subtle glare in Zuko's direction.

The airbender had seen the growing affection between his waterbending teacher and firebending instructor. In fact, it was completely impossible to ignore. Aang's throat was continually blocked by lumps that only grew larger with every new smile, every gentle kiss, every torturing blush. He did his best to keep the two lovebirds separate, but it did little good. They were usually up all night talking or playing or just enjoying each other's company anyway. Aang knew deep in his gut that he couldn't keep the two apart forever.

But that most certainly did not stop him from trying.

Of course, this newfound friction made it difficult to learn firebending. Despite Zuko's redemption, Aang found it increasingly tempting to view the Fire Prince as the enemy once again. This rivalry made it nigh impossible for poor Zuko to teach his suddenly stubborn pupil anything without receiving attitude in return. Aang had once been so complacent, but now he watched with grim satisfaction the growing friction he caused between him and 'Sifu Hotman.' After what he was doing with Katara, Aang wanted nothing more to do with him.

"Do I have to practice firebending today?" he would whine to Katara, hoping for the familiar gentle reassurance that if he ever needed a break, they could practice waterbending. But those spoils were becoming more rare than ever, and Aang found himself missing the days when he was running from the Fire Prince instead of learning from him. At least Katara had always been there for him then. She would protect him to the end against Zuko, and her once deep-seated view of the firebender as an enemy made Aang wish for the past to be present more than ever.

Not only did this create mounting friction between Zuko, Aang, and Katara, but the Avatar realized he had now become a target for Toph's flying pebbles, Suki's glares and lectures, and Teo's subtle, distasteful headshakes.

_At least Hakoda, Sokka, and Haru are on my side…_ Aang thought abrstractly, but even then he knew he was wrong. Hakoda certainly didn't seem comfortable with Zuko and Katara's romance, but Aang could see that every day, the Water Tribe Chief was slowly softening towards the two. Sokka, too, seemed to be listening to Suki and Toph's reassurances. Even Appa and Momo had found friendship with Zuko and hardly minded Katara's attentions to him in the least. Then again, they liked whoever would pet and feed them…

Sighing dejectedly, Aang set himself to enjoy the precious moments he had left with Katara during waterbending practice. Then he would have to watch her rest in her prince's arms until dinner, sit through them making the fire together, and fall asleep with the picture of Katara's head on Zuko's chest as the moon rose high.

* * *

**Personally, Hakoda, Haru, and Aang's were my favorites to write. I love writing about friction in romance and love triangles, so Haru and Aang's opinions of Zutara I just couldn't resist! Plus, I think that if Zuko ever did put his arm around Katara, Hakoda would have something to say! ****And why the heck did I call Katara a Water Tribe princess? Well, I just figure that since her father's chief of the Southern Water Tribe, that would – if you want to get technical, which I do – make her a princess of sorts. Ah, so Sokka really **_**is**_** a prince – of course we all knew that already! ;) And yes, I decided to call Katara's mother Kya on a whim, but also because Kya was originally going to be Katara's name on the show, and I liked it, so bing-bang-boom, I made it her mother's name. It's also my cat's name… Guess what my other two cat's names are and you get an imaginary cookie the size of your head! Hope you enjoyed this, and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Pros Fluffy Zutara

**This is pure, cotton candy-level fluff. Need I say more? :)**

**Pros: What We Love About Zutara...**

The moon on high illuminated a solitary figure lying in the grass, staring up at a trillion twinkling stars. His golden eyes scanned the midnight expanse of the heavens, but his busy mind wandered elsewhere. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sudden smell of fresh rain as a quiet figure approached and sat down beside him. He cast his bright eyes on her, flashing a brief smile before turning his gaze back to the stars.

"What's on your mind," the waterbender's quiet voice inquired.

Zuko remained quiet for a long time, his muddled thoughts all calling for attention at once. "I was thinking about my mother," he said finally, his voice quiet. Immediately, a cool hand touched his shoulder, calming his restless mind. The Fire Prince smiled again, enjoying the soft caress. It strengthened when his waterbender snuggled up to him and laid her head on his chest.

"It's hard…" Katara whispered. It wasn't a question.

"Not as hard as it used to be," Zuko replied. Katara's head rose, her azure eyes confused. "I… I used to think my mother was gone forever… that I could never get her back. But when I told my father I was joining the Avatar, he told me my mother was only banished… and she might still be alive. I might still be able to get her back."

A hand clutched his shirt, and a heart-wrenching smile broke over the waterbender's face. "That's… Zuko, that's wonderful!" she gasped, joyous tears running down her cheeks. "Once this war's over, you can find her!"

"I don't know how," Zuko admitted. "She probably wouldn't listen to a summons to the palace after everything that happened to her there. She might have even left the Fire Nation. She could be anywhere in the world by now!"

Katara laid her head back on his chest, still smiling. "I'll help you," she promised quietly. "No matter how long it takes, we'll find her." Zuko raised his head from the grass so that he could get a better look at her. "I've had to go most of my life without my mother," the waterbender continued, "and… I wish with all my heart that I could have her back. If you have a chance to see your mother again, then I want to do everything I can to help."

Wordlessly, Zuko sat up, pulling Katara with him. She didn't protest when he brought her into his chest and kissed her gently. The waterbender leaned into his embrace, slipping her arms around his neck and melting into his warmth when his arms slid around her waist and pulled her closer.

Zuko smiled when he spotted the creeping blush coming over his waterbender's cheeks as he moved down her chin to her jaw line and down her neck. He passed over the ribbon of her mother's necklace and set his lips to her collarbone before moving back up to her ear, snickering at the growing warmth he found there. Finally, the firebender returned to Katara's lips, pressing harder, pleased when she didn't shy away.

Eventually, they both had to stop for air. Katara's delicate blush made Zuko laugh quietly, which only sent Katara into a fit of blissful giggles. She laid her head on the traitor prince's shoulder and sighed to herself, reveling in the peace of the moment.

"Thank you." Zuko's warm breath tickled her ear, sending shocks down her spine and making her want to move closer.

"You're welcome," the Water Tribe princess whispered back, delighting in the goosebumps that traveled up Zuko's arms at her cool breath on his skin.

* * *

**This is short, I know. Sorry if you think it could have been longer… I ran out of inspiration. I mean, it's FLUFF! I can only keep it going for so long without dying of the awesomness of FLUFF!! The second one of this will NOT be fluffy, however, it won't even be happy, because in the next fic I will explore the cons of Zutara. Brace yourself for the depressing truth... REVIEW!!**


	10. Chapter 10: Cons of Zutara: Guilty

**Okay, now for the depressing truth all us Zutarians must eventually face… I tried to soften it up for you by giving you guys some fluff… Hope it works… This is during The Ember Island Players, which means I'm guessing what happens, and they're in their Fire Nation disguises again. :) POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT!! But this is NOT based on ANYTHING in the 'Sozin's Comet' book. I have NOT read that book, and therefore I do NOT want to hear ANYTHING IN ANY REVIEW ABOUT ANYTHING IN THAT BOOK!! IF YOU MENTION THE CONTENTS OF THAT EVIL PIECE-OF-CRAP BOOK I WILL SICK MY SHIRSHU ON YOU!! Phew... with that out of the way...  
**

**Cons: What We Hate About Zutara:**

Aang grimaced, watching his instructor leap through a complex firebending motion. Flame leaped from the traitor prince's feet and fists as he twisted and rolled, ending the sequence in a great blast of fire towards the sky. Straightening, he looked at Aang.

"Okay, now try that," he instructed simply.

Throwing his hands in the air, Aang snapped, "How am I supposed to do that?! You didn't even tell me how!"

Zuko raised his good eyebrow, his lips a tight line as he attempted to keep his temper under control. He succeeded. "I figured since you've done so well at picking up firebending just by watching, you'd be okay," he retorted, his tone void of all emotion.

The Avatar fumed. "We've been training for hours!" he exclaimed, changing the subject. "Can't we stop for today?"

"You only have about a month until Sozin's Comet arrives," Zuko protested. "You need to train as much as you can so that you'll have mastered firebending by then." His pupil crossed his arms, pouting sulkily. "But if you're that tired, we can stop." With that, he walked away, leaving the airbender to glare at the back of his head.

* * *

"I don't understand why he's being so difficult!" Zuko ranted, deeply appreciating the fact Katara had paused in her sewing to listen to his complaints. "He was always so eager to learn firebending after we visited the Sun Warriors, and now… it's like he doesn't trust me anymore. It's like…"

"You don't have to say it," Katara reassured him quietly, standing beside him.

"It's like I'm Prince Zuko, hunting him all over again…" Zuko finished, needing to get his thoughts out before they burned a hole in his mind. Katara put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'll talk with him," the waterbender said, flashing him a comforting smile. Zuko couldn't resist returning it.

* * *

"Aang? Aang, are you here?"

The Avatar automatically blushed at the sound of his name from Katara's mouth. He leaped out from behind the column he'd been pouting behind and nearly slammed into the waterbender.

"Oh, sorry!" Aang quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I was just looking for you," Katara admitted. "Aang… we need to talk."

Aang's smile faded instantly, but he forced another onto his face. "What's up?"

Katara's face turned serious. "We need to talk about you learning firebending."

This time, Aang's dimmed smile could not be replaced. He frowned sulkily, dreading the oncoming lecture. "Okay… what's to talk about? Firebending's going great. I'm learning really quick, and I should have it mastered before Sozin's Comet comes."

"That's not what Zuko says," Katara responded calmly, ignoring the attitude in her friend's voice. She watched in surprise as deep irritation passed through Aang's gray eyes.

"He expects me to learn faster than I can!" Aang complained, hoping Katara would comfort him. She always did before. Wouldn't she now? Wouldn't she defend him from Zuko and his unfair teaching methods?

"He's just trying to help, Aang," Katara insisted.

No. She didn't defend him, she defended Zuko.

How the monkeyfeathers did _that_ happen?!

He'd seen it more frequently over the weeks. They'd grown closer together, the waterbender and her Fire Prince. How? _Why?!_

"When did you suddenly start caring for Zuko more than me?" the Avatar blurted, surprised at the words coming from his own mouth. Katara looked equally shocked.

"Aang…"

"You're always spending time with him, Katara," Aang continued, forcing the words he'd been dying to say for so long out. "Whenever we're training with waterbending, you seem distracted. You're always glancing at him and smiling and he's always watching you and smiling back… Even at the play you two were watching each other and talking. I thought you didn't trust him and now… now it's driving me crazy!"

"Aang, I-"

"Why is it that you like him so much? I thought you liked me! I thought…" The words died on his lips, leaving Katara in shock.

"You thought… Oh, Aang…"

Desperate, Aang leaned in quick, planting a kiss on Katara's lips in a final attempt to make her see. She had to see how much he loved her, how much he would do for her, how much he would give up for her. He'd already given up the world for her love. What more could he give? What more could he show? If only she could see…

She didn't.

Katara jerked back, stunned. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped aloud. "Aang…"

The Avatar ducked his head, trying to avoid her wide eyes. His heart felt like it had been wrenched in two, buried, burned, drowned, and scarred. Immediately, Katara's arms were around him in an attempt at a comforting embrace. She couldn't think of what to say, but Aang couldn't bear her touch if he couldn't keep it forever. He pulled himself out of her grasp and readied his glider, at any moment prepared to fly. But he hesitated.

"I'm sorry, Katara…" he murmured, clutching his staff in a vice grip to keep the tears from falling like a flooded waterfall. "I failed you."

"Aang, that's not true. I failed you. I should have seen that you cared for me, and then I could have told you sooner…" Aang turned around, confused. "I could have told you that… I'm not the one for you."

Aang whirled away, but Katara's hand on his shoulder kept him from running. He could hear the tears in her eyes from the shake in her voice.

"I could tell you that there's someone better, someone who will completely fall for you," his mentor continued, desperately trying to make him understand. "Aang, I'm not the one. I love you so much… but not that way. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I always want you to be my friend. My brother. Please, Aang, please understand…"

Aang's breath caught, and he scrubbed his tears away. "I understand," he whispered faintly, his voice hoarse and quaking. Katara's arms wrapped around him in a crushing embrace, and this time, he didn't pull away. The Avatar cried into his friend's shoulder, feeling deep in his heart that only time could mend him now.

* * *

**This is probably not how it'll go… but I just wanted to take a whack at this scene. As you can see, I put in another clip from the NYCC trailer. Sorry, no cookie for guessing it this time. My Easy-Bake Oven broke down… :( Nah, I'm JUST KIDDING!! XD Ah, I'm so lame… Sorry, I'm just trying to recover from this. It's really depressing for me, because I really love Aang, and this is gonna be hard when he learns the truth about Zutara… hugs Aang-y and sniffles My one downside to the bestest shipping in the world… Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Moonlight Reflections

**Well, I haven't gotten very many reviews lately… :( Really, I know – or at least I hope – that more people are reading this than reviewing on it, and I would appreciate it ever so much if you guys would review. I work really hard on these stories, and it really hurts to see so few people telling me what they think. To those of you that have, you have my deepest thanks. :) I'm a budding writer, so any amount of constructive criticism is more than welcome, and it really makes my day and makes writing these things worthwhile to see people taking the time to give me their opinions. So please, please, please, **_**please**_** review.**

* * *

**Moonlight Reflections:**

Silver danced off the water in the garden, broken here and there by the feathered shadows of turtleducks splashing together and quacking happily. A gentle breeze stirred the lemur tail reeds bent over the water, sending ripples dancing over the pond. A gentle sigh upset the water further, awaking it from its midnight slumber.

Katara sat cross-legged by the water's edge, ignoring the grass stains no doubt growing on her silk blue skirts. She'd come a long way from the simple Water Tribe robes she'd worn as a youth and the trademark braid of her people's women. Instead, the seventeen year old wore floor length silks in blue and pearl fringed with silver embroidery in waving curls. She'd been forced to abandon furs long ago, considering the naturally warm weather of her present home. Her hair, once tied back with strands of dark hair and beads, was pulled half way up, leaving the rest of her hip-length curls to fall loosely down her back in the Fire Nation style she preferred. But one thing would never change: her mother's necklace, the black ribbon, worn from wear, still rested against her collarbone.

She'd been living in the Fire Nation since the war's end three years earlier, visiting her family every chance she got, but otherwise remaining very busy. As the official ambassador of both Water Tribes to the Fire Lord, she rarely got a break. Every spare moment she had was spent here, in the garden. And every spare minute the Fire Lord had, he would be sitting next to her there. But those moments were few and far between.

Just thinking about Zuko brought a longing smile to the waterbender's lips. They rarely got to see each other anymore, what with all the private councils, the business trips, the treaty signings, the public speeches, all of which duties kept them both busy, and then just sleeping after a long day's work… Even after three years, echoes of the war could still be felt. Sometimes it seemed like they would never see each other again. But they always managed to pass each other in the hallway and exchange a smile – or even a kiss – but that was only when they were sure no one else was around. Plus, they always saw each other at mealtimes, and the rare parties were a given. He escorted her every time.

Katara's smile widened. Zuko's dedication to his country, a nation that had once called him a traitor and spat in his face when he tried to help them, was evident in everything that he did. Even if it meant missing out on a pleasant evening with her, he would do it. She understood, but sometimes, Katara felt an ache in her heart, wishing that, somehow, they could spend more time together. Every night she thought about it. For the last few _years_ now, she had been expecting Zuko to propose the only solution that would allow that to happen, but he had never made a move.

Things had quieted down a lot since Ozai's death and Azula's imprisonment in a psyche-ward. The Earth Kingdom had been given back its land, what had once been called the Fire Nation Colonies, and its prisoners of war were returned. The Water Tribes, thanks to hers and Zuko's continual peace councils, were now on friendly terms with the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads, though they would take many years to be rebuilt to their former numbers a century prior, were still being preserved in the heart of the Avatar, her dear friend Aang. So why, with the world nearly at peace and things finally settling into a steady schedule, did Zuko not confront her with the question she'd been dying for so long to hear?

She loved him. Yes, very much so. And in his kisses, his glances in her direction, his touch and his smile, Katara knew in her very soul Zuko loved her just as deeply. So why, why, _why_ couldn't their love be solidified? Maybe he was afraid they still wouldn't be able to spend enough time together? Maybe he felt it wasn't worth it? The thought cut her deep.

Trying to distract herself, Katara stared into the pond, her cerulean eyes focusing on the large pearly disk of the moon's reflection on the water. In a flash, she saw the long shadow fall over the water. In a flash, she had an instinctive ice blade in her hand and was standing, turning – old habits die hard. In a flash, his hands had her wrists, his lips had hers, and the ice melted to the grass.

Katara wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck, tangling her fingers in his long hair. The Fire Lord's arms rested around her waist, crushing her into his chest, stealing her breath in his embrace. They held each other for a long moment, lost in the long-awaited comfort of the other's arms. The full moon illuminated their figures in soft pearls and ribbons of silver, muting the shocking contrast in the colors of their robes into tranquil grays.

Eventually, Katara pulled away, her passions sobered by the thoughts plaguing her mind only minutes before. Her shimmering ocean eyes must have darkened noticeably in the dim light; Zuko immediately knew something was wrong.

"Katara, what is it?" he questioned gently even as she turned away from him. His arms enveloped her from behind and pulled her into his warmth, soothing her a bit. But the doubts she had planted inside her own mind wouldn't rest until spoken.

"I just… I hate that we're always pining for our time together." Katara felt Zuko's arms tighten around her ever so slightly, and his warm breath tickled her neck as he sighed. The waterbender leaned back into her lover's embrace, allowing him to fully enclose her in the natural room his arms made for only her.

"I feel the same," Zuko admitted sadly, tenderly resting his lips at the base of her neck. His next words were spoken into her skin, sending warm, comfortable tingles up Katara's spine. "I just don't know what to do…"

Immediately, the spell ended. Katara shoved Zuko away, startling him, and found herself having to restrain the sudden urge to slap him in the face with a splash of water.

"You _don't know what to do?!"_ she practically shrieked. "What else is there _to_ do?! I love you, you love me! Why can't we take it a step further? Why won't you just MARRY ME, ZUKO?!"

That last part escaped Katara's lips before she could stop it. Immediately, she clapped her hand over her mouth, wishing now that she could slap _herself_ in the face with a little pond water instead of Zuko. The Fire Lord appeared just as mortified – if not more – at her sudden outburst. That only made Katara feel worse. If only Toph were there to bend her into the ground away from Zuko's shocked golden stare.

"I thought… I…" Katara watched Zuko's throat work as he gulped. "Can you say that again?" he finally managed numbly.

Katara lowered her hand, revealing her trembling lips. She fought to keep her voice steady. "I said… 'Why won't you marry me?'"

They both stared at each other for a long time, hurt and confusion and despair playing across both their faces. After a while, neither could make eye contact.

Finally, Zuko knelt on the grass before her, his head bowed. "Please don't hurt me, but… I just didn't want to end up like… like my father."

Katara's heart froze and melted; it did an impressive series of flips, diving to her toes, and leaping to her throat, all in the expanse of three agonizing seconds for Zuko. In the next second, Katara found herself on the grass in front of the firebender, squeezing his hands and fighting to speak through the cold tears of fury spilling down her cheeks and stealing her breath from her lungs. She noticed that tears of equal pain were misting his eyes.

"How… how could you…" No, the words refused to come. Katara's soul flooded with passionate feelings, all burning for attention. She hated him for thinking such a horrible thing about himself; she wanted to slap him; she loved him more dearly than anyone else; she wanted to tell him so; she wanted to tell him he was a hundred _thousand_ times the man his father had been; she felt overjoyed that at least he had kept from marrying her for another reason than because he didn't share her feelings; she felt her heart be crushed under the intense sadness welling up from the depths of her being for him. But could she really express any of these emotions to him? No, the words refused to come. The only thing she managed was a hoarse,

"Why?"

Zuko refused to meet her eyes. "You said a long time ago that I was the Fire Lord's son, that spreading hate and violence was in my blood. It's a part of who I am…"

Now Katara really wanted to slap him, but she stayed her hand. He didn't need more pain right now.

"I was wrong!" she choked. "I didn't know you then, not like I do now. What I said then… it's not true! You have to know it isn't! Monkeyfeathers, Zuko, why would you even _think_ something like that?!"

Something in Zuko's eyes changed, and a weak smile fought at his lips. He looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time. "Monkeyfeathers?"

"I HATE you!" Katara sputtered as she pushed him over and stood, infuriated. Immediately, Zuko turned serious, returning to the issue at hand. "Your father… I can't even begin to describe the evils he's done, and I know that you could do it better than me and _still_ not be able to do it." Her eyes immediately fell to Zuko's left eye, where his scar used to be. "What have _you_ done that would even _plant_ that thought in your mind?!"

"I fought you at the North Pole."

"Ozai _banished_ your mother just for protecting you!"

"I betrayed you in Ba Sing Se."

"He banished _you_ for protecting your country's servants!"

"I used your mother's necklace to hunt for Aang!"

"His daughter, his student, would have KILLED Aang if I didn't bring him back!"

"Because I helped her!"

"You didn't know what you were doing!"

"I turned my back on my uncle!"

"So did Ozai!"

"Then I'm no better!"

Katara froze, her lips tight. "I did not say that," she said quietly, her voice tense like the muscles in her body. Zuko stood up.

"You didn't need to," he insisted, turning away. "I already know what-"

"He _scarred_ you!!"

Zuko's step halted. Katara saw his head bow, but he didn't turn back to her.

"Zuko, if you had a son, you and I both know you would never burn him like that." Zuko shook visibly, and Katara felt her own knees go weak at the thought of Zuko, _her_ Zuko, putting such a horrible mark on an innocent child. But she steadied her voice enough to continue, "You and I both know you would never banish me like that. What Ozai did to the world has nothing to do with you. What you've done… it's past. Please… _please_ don't think such things ever again. You have more honor, even then, than Ozai could have ever dreamed. And now, now that you've done so much good for the world… I can't even tell you how much greater a man you are than him."

Zuko finally turned towards her, his golden eyes bright with tears. "I… what if… I'm afraid that I'll… hurt you…"

"You won't," Katara insisted, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder, pulling a hopeful smile. "We'll get through it together. And we'll get mad… and argue… I'm sure, but we'll still love each other in the end." She swallowed, loving the sound of those words, and this. "Forever."

That brought a reluctant smile to Zuko's face, and once again, Katara found herself crushed into his chest, surrounded by his warmth, with his heart pumping against her ear, and his arms around her waist. She found herself wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and laying her head on his chest, her tears dried in the comfortable heat of Zuko's embrace. A strange, hard lump greeted Katara's cheek as it rested on his heart, separated by the Fire Lord's shirt.

"What is that?" she asked, boldly feeling Zuko's chest for the object tucked into his tunic. The firebender shied away, his hand instinctively grasping the item through his shirt, like clutching at an ache in his heart. Katara eyed him strangely. "Zuko, what is it?"

"It's… it's yours."

Katara moved closer, playfully curious. She reached for him, but he backed away again, making her trip. "Come on, let me see!"

Zuko returned her sly smile. "You have to close your eyes first."

The waterbender made a sour face, but complied, covering her face with her hands. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, just hurry up! I want to see!"

She smiled when she heard Zuko's soft laughter at her impatience before inhaling sharply at his sudden warmth by her side. Gentle fingers brushed along her shoulders and gently laid themselves at the base of her neck, fingering the ribbon of her mother's necklace. A puff of breath tickled Katara's neck and stirred her hair as Zuko unhooked her necklace and lifted it away. Katara felt a smile tug at her lips, and tears wet her hands.

But before the silky ribbon of her engagement necklace could rest on her neck, Zuko paused.

"Do you really want this?"

"Do you have to ask?"

She could feel his smile, and a thrill bulleted through her when the cool silver pendant and the tiny pearl rested against her collarbone. Finally, Katara uncovered her eyes and turned to Zuko, beaming.

"You kept this in your shirt, over your heart, all this time?" she asked, her heart melting more with each word.

The nineteen year old Fire Lord blushed furiously, rubbing his neck with an adorable, sheepish grin on his face. "It… it's sort of like your element. It made me feel more alive during those long meetings… and encouraged me during speeches… just because it reminded me of you… and…" Zuko just let the sentence die, his blush all the more intense, praying he didn't sound too corny.

Katara just smiled wider and rushed for the pond, gasping a little at her reflection in the water. The silver and gold pendant, surrounding its singular pearl, glistened in the moonlight above, adding prominence to the sparkle in her own blue eyes. Unknowingly, the waterbender was leaning forward towards the rippling pond, as if she could fall into the sky through the water, soaring in her happiness. Zuko looked over her shoulder into the pool, smiling at her smile, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist so she didn't fall in. She didn't.

She fell back.

Right into him.

And then she was kissing him.

They'd shared many kisses before, but none with so much fire, so many tears, so much laughing and sighing. Zuko immediately pushed back against Katara's passion, pressing his mouth against hers in newfound freedom. He pulled gently on her bottom lip with his teeth, and she only responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing harder. Zuko took his cue and moved down the waterbender's neck, touching her collarbone, making her sigh contentedly. He tickled her ear with his warm breath. He could taste her joyous tears on her cheeks, already disappearing with every puff of his breath against her skin.

And before either of them realized how it started or where they were going, they were running. Katara laughed out loud, a beautiful melody of notes like a gentle breeze whistling through the glaciers of her homeland, as Zuko chased after her, trying desperately to catch his playful waterbender. He quickly overtook her, beaming as he lunged, but Katara sidestepped him quickly, sending him into the grass. Then she became the one tackling him. They rolled over each other, laughing aloud and smiling. Katara's hair came loose of her ribbon, as did Zuko's, making it hard for them to kiss again. They sat up, both sputtering and blushing and breathing hard, their arms wrapped around each other in an unshakable embrace. The moon just smiled at them from her perch in the sky, celebrating the betrothed youths, while two pairs of loving eyes watched from the shadows of the palace, one happy that her son had finally made the proposal, the other wondering how many great nieces and great nephews he would receive.

**El gasp! What could this be?! Fluff? I'm a hopeless romantic, what can I say? ;) Hurray for fluff! I could choke on it, but I still don't care! Fluff rocks this world! Fluff, fluff, fluff!! Also, a not-so-subtle mention of Ursa and Iroh at the end because I just couldn't resist.  
**


	12. Chapter 12: Captive of Nightmares

**WOOT! I'm very happy with the number of reviews I've gotten. Thank you all so much! This is before the wedding… enjoy. And REVIEW!! :D BTW, I suck at titles, and this is a long fic. Just warning everyone… :P**

* * *

**Captive of Nightmares**

_Water swirled around him in a wild whirlpool, driving him, not down into the crushing black depths, but upward towards pale moonlight. He could breath under the surface, and everything was as crystal clear as if it were a sunny day instead of nighttime. Above, he could see two koi fish, eerily familiar, like echoes of his past. _

_The water split in a frenzy as Zuko shot out of the water, gasping, not for air, but from utter shock. Two figures stood on the grassy shore, with a young boy sitting between them. The younger boy's eyes and arrow shaped tattoos glowed brightly, casting a faint glimmer on the pool Zuko found himself standing in, perfectly dry. The two figures standing over him, however, called his attention from the boy before his name could even solidify in the firebender's mind._

_Everything looked hazier than in the water, but Zuko didn't have to see the details to remember the scene from three years ago. A blurry burst of fire, the vague glint of moonlight on flying water, shouts, pain, a body against a wooden pole… And suddenly, everything seemed different. Zuko watched in horror as, instead of his past self grabbing the Avatar, the sixteen-year-old Fire Prince lunged, fire blazing from his fists. The hungry flames engulfed the unconscious waterbender on the grass. Before Zuko could scream, the water sucked him down._

* * *

Zuko shot upwards from his bed, his legs already moving. Leaping from the mattress, he stumbled into the bathroom and vomited into the sink, tears blurring his vision.

* * *

The proposal had only been made three days ago, and every night since then, Zuko's sleep had been plagued with nightmares. All his past crimes, shoved in his face, ten times more horrible than he'd ever remembered them. The firebender thought he'd forgiven himself and forgotten everything… but apparently he hadn't. And worse, all the terrible images he saw, so much worse than they had been three years before, were seeming more real by the second. He hadn't really done those things, but the reality of the dreams and Zuko's own panic were starting to destroy his mind.

"Zuko?"

The Fire Lord started out of his thoughts. Katara sidled up next to him on the bench in front of the turtleduck pond, tucking her arm into the crook of his own and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Your scared, aren't you?"

"… Yes."

Katara's sigh came out raggedly against his sleeve, mirroring the fatigue he, too, suffered.

"Of what?"

"We've already talked about it."

Zuko felt Katara's warmth leave as she stood. Her eyes went cold with hurt, and she turned away, preferring to watch the turtleducks play in blissful ignorance than to see the protective fear in her fiancé's eyes.

"I can take care of myself," she mumbled, her voice venomous.

Zuko chuckled, making her fume. "I know that," he said quietly, his smile weak. Katara shot him a puzzled look.

"Then why are you so worried about me?" she asked. Her eyes misted, and she hugged herself. "Why don't you trust me to protect myself?"

Zuko hung his head. "You can't."

Katara opened her mouth to argue strongly against such a bold statement, but he quickly explained, "In my dreams! You… in my dreams, you're helpless… And I really hurt you."

The waterbender turned back to him, fingering her engagement choker. "You… you dream about me?"

Zuko nodded. "Every night. It gets worse every time. I can't even shut my eyes anymore without seeing it…"

"Seeing what?"

Silence.

"Zuko…" Katara tried again, stepping towards him, her eyes pleading. "You should talk it out. It'll make you feel be-"

"I can't."

"Zuko…"

Zuko turned his head away, closing his eyes, only to be forced to open them again to escape the horrible images flashing around inside his eyelids. Katara rubbed her left arm slowly like she'd been punched, her lips trembling.

"Please… please, Zuko, don't shut me out," she whispered, her voice shaking a little. "Not now. Not after all we've talked about… and what we're about to do… We have to… we have to talk about things, you know? We can't just shut each other out like this."

Silent, Zuko just shook his head, his eyes pained. "I can't talk about i-"

Cool hands laid themselves on his temples. Zuko sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden contact, then relaxed as the cool water began massaging his mind. The nightmares of the past few nights melted into the gentle push and pull of the mental waves Katara sent through his brain, healing him.

"Better?" a whisper echoed through his mind, and Zuko vaguely found himself replying, his voice sounding far away and hazy,

"Yes… Thank you…"

* * *

"_It didn't help… it never helped… it may have stopped… but it came back… it'll always come back…"_

_Reds filled Zuko's vision, fuzzy and distorted. The empty seats around the arena were silent as death. Not even the people of the Fire Nation, who, six years before had joyously watched his face burn under his father's torch, would not watch this. Zuko stood alone in the stands, looking down at a blood-stained Agni Kai arena._

_Two figures stood alone on the marble stage – well, more precisely, one stood, the other lay still at his feet. Zuko, his gut twisting into an unbreakable knot, knew who they were at once._

_Everything seemed so clear now. Even the red blood and purplish bruises on Katara's dark skin stood out like a nail in Zuko's eye. And the dark man standing over her – his father._

_The man was just a silhouette, but Zuko knew him all too well. He immediately started running, tripping over the seats and falling on the cold stone, bruising himself and forming cuts and scrapes on his knees and elbows – anything to stop the fire in his father's hands from reaching Katara's skin. He'd made it to the final row of chairs when his blood froze, and along with it, the rest of his body._

_The man standing over Katara…_

_The man ready to mar her skin with searing, hungry flame…_

_It wasn't Ozai._

"_Zuko!" Katara pleaded, her voice barely recognizable past her hoarse, choking sobs, "Please! Please don't!" Her tangled, blood-matted brown hair fell over her face, shielding Zuko from the utter horror of his beloved waterbender's tears of agony. He tried to scream out, but nothing could pass the rock hard lump in his throat. He tried to move, but his legs were lead._

_Cold gold eyes stared back at his fiancé, unfeeling as stone, and for the longest, most painful second in Zuko's life, even more painful than the moment when Ozai's fire cut through his skin, the Fire Prince saw the brutality of his father in his own face._

_Fire filled the arena, its writhing white tendrils reaching the farthest corners of the room. Zuko couldn't feel its bite as it passed through him._

_She screamed._

_He screamed._

_Blackness._

_Silence._

* * *

Zuko's mind hadn't even snapped back to reality when his feet started moving. His door slammed into the wall as he threw it open, his feet flew over the carpet as the dark halls raced past him, and Katara's door fell away from the force of his kick before anyone could yell monkeyfeathers. It didn't matter that it was three in the morning. He didn't care she was probably asleep. He had to see. He had to see the unmarked skin, the perfect, creamy smooth, tanned skin.

In fact, in his rush, Zuko managed to shoot right over Katara's queen mattress and land in a roll on the other side, missing Katara's sleeping form by mere inches. He twisted in the air before he hit the carpet so that he was already facing her when he landed, and Zuko held Katara's face in his clammy hands the next second. The panicked Fire Lord's fingers trembled uncontrollably as they caressed Katara's cheeks, running over her unmarked skin with unbridled relief.

"Zuko!"

The firebender ignored his fiancé's start. She knew his touch and would not be frightened. Not unless…

Zuko shuddered as a cold tingle ran up his spine, and he pulled Katara into his lap, crushing her into him, trying not to hurt her, but determined to never let her go. He was vaguely aware that his tears were soaking the shoulder of her nightgown, and that her arms were slowly wrapping around his waist, holding her closer to him.

Eventually, Zuko lay in _Katara's_ lap, and she cradled him while he slowly dozed off, exhausted.

* * *

"Lady Ursa, can I talk to you?"

Ever since she had been rescued, Ursa had become a mother-like figure in Katara's life. Her soft, soothing voice encouraged the waterbender whenever she felt helpless, her heart's strength made her admire the Fire Lady, and what's more, Katara just felt infinitely better having an older woman around to share her innermost… feminine thoughts with. She especially enjoyed learning about Zuko's childhood before Ursa's banishment. It made her smile to herself, and sometimes, she couldn't help but giggle at those bright memories whenever she saw Zuko, deeply annoying him. But now, Katara sought Ursa's advice, not a story. They sat in the garden under their favorite tree, watching the turtleducks and feeling the warm Fire Nation sun.

"What is it, Katara?" Ursa inquired, her golden eyes open and friendly, the exact opposite of Zuko's these days.

"It's Zuko…" Katara closed her eyes for a moment, still shocked by the breakdown of her fiancé the night before. He never told her what had scared him so much, but she had no doubt that it was a nightmare. "It's just… for the first time since I got to know him in Ba Sing Se… he won't talk to me. We used to be able to share anything and everything, and I'd hoped that being engaged - and married – would only strengthen that. But ever since we got engaged, Zuko's had nightmares. I think… I think they're about me. I think he's afraid he'll hurt me. And last night… I've never seen him so scared. I wish he would let me know what's wrong so that I can help him."

Ursa remained silent for a moment. "Have you tried telling him this?" she asked gently, her index finger slowly trailing through the water, causing the turtleduck chicks to swim after it in a frenzy for more bread crumbs.

"Yes!" Katara insisted strongly, "But he refuses to talk to me. After last night, he's even been avoiding me! I just don't know what else to do…"

Ursa's musical laughter, soft in the afternoon breeze, made Katara start. The Fire Lady smiled sadly at her.

"He loves you very much."

Katara crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow. "But I can take care of myself," she ranted. "He shouldn't think he always has to baby me. I'm glad that he cares for me, but I'm strong. I can fight."

Ursa nodded, still smiling. "He knows that," she agreed. "He knows, and that only hurts him more. He wants to protect you, yet he also knows that you are independent and stubborn, and he doesn't wish to rob you of your freedom. It's a struggle he will ultimately have to face alone. You can't help him."

"But why?" Katara persisted. "I should be able to help him! Why can't-"

Suddenly, she stopped, the words she'd been about to speak playing through her head. Ursa smiled knowingly at her, her bright eyes calm and patient, awaiting the young waterbender to make her own realization.

They were doing the exact same thing!

Ursa placed a gentle hand on Katara's. "Katara, darling, you are an angel. You want so much to heal every injury and to piece together every broken heart. And I understand you fully when you feel the need to sooth Zuko's troubled mind. But this is something he must face alone. He has no right to baby you, but you cannot baby _him_ if he is to grow and mature into the great man we both know him to be. Give him time. Zuko is smart and strong, and he is growing wiser every day. He'll figure it out, as I know you will as well."

With that, Ursa gave her one last understanding smile, stood, and exited the garden, leaving Katara to her thoughts.

* * *

One month until the wedding. It seemed the entire Fire Nation was in a frenzy, and the worst place to be in the whole chain of islands was the royal palace. Katara could hardly walk down a hall without running into half a dozen people carrying flowers, fabrics, gifts, candles, and various other objects. The future Fire Lady, however, found that she could not enjoy the thrill of her impending nuptials like she should. Always in the back of her mind, and often at the forefront of her thoughts, was Zuko. She'd spoken with Ursa three months ago, and ever since then, she'd only seen Zuko at mealtimes, and occasionally when she passed him in the hall. They rarely ever spoke, and Katara missed Zuko's warmth, in his looks, his hugs, and especially his kisses. These months should be the most exciting in her life… shouldn't they?

Katara sighed in exasperation and fled the hall, seeking the quiet tranquility of her chambers. She'd tried to be patient and strong like her element. She'd tried to be understanding, always ready to heal when Zuko asked, but never pushing. He'd never asked, of course, and Katara found it steadily more trying on her nerves to refrain from confronting him. She wanted to hear him speak to her again. She wanted him to say he loved her, to feel his kiss, his gentle arms around her. She wanted to be close to him. She wanted to _feel_ like his fiancé, instead of just hearing the empty word from gossiping servants and reading it in letters!

Speaking of which, her family had responded well to her letter informing them of Zuko's proposal. Her father at first seemed hesitant, as did Sokka, but she'd convinced them. And Toph, who's letter had been written by a servant barely willing to put her bold words to paper, was absolutely thrilled. Aang, too, took the news well as Katara had hoped. The years had finally eased his pain, and now Toph offered him a tight, albeit rudely straightforward, relationship that seemed to provide him the close companionship he longed for.

The thought of Aang's feelings forced Katara's mind into the past, into more desperate, though sometimes more enjoyable and innocent, times. Times when she and Toph argued over the silliest things, and her brother was an idiot they could all have a laugh at, and Aang was her student, and Zuko loved her…

_He still loves me. He's just got a lot on his mind, and I can't expect him to share EVERYTHING with me, even though that's what marriage is ALL ABOUT, and…_

Katara ground her teeth, growling as she threw he face into the pillows on her bed.

_All I have to say is: he'd better not be this way during the wedding! I'm determined to make it the happiest day of my life, and if I have to give him some tough love in order to do that, so be it!_

The thought depressed her, and Katara was just thinking of having her dinner sent to her room instead of facing Zuko at the dining table, when she heard a knock at the door. Quickly straightening her mussed hair, Katara called,

"Come in!"

The door opened, and the inevitable gold eyes and messy black hair of her fiancé came into view. Before Katara could greet him, she noticed the deep rings under Zuko's eyes and the somber line of his lips. Finally, they would get somewhere.

"Uncle said you were looking for me," Zuko explained by way of greeting.

Katara almost explained that she hadn't been looking for him when she realized Iroh's plan. Never had she been so thankful for the man's scheming.

_Thank you, Uncle…_ "Um, yes…" Katara stuttered, trying to avoid an unnecessary confrontation without lying to Zuko. "I just wanted to say that I'm… really excited about the wedding. Uh… are you excited?" she added sheepishly, wishing she didn't sound as silly as her brother just then.

Zuko just stared at her, terribly confused and tired looking. "Yeah… I'm excited," he agreed hesitantly. They both stared for a long while, caught up in an awkward silence that neither of them could figure out how to break. Finally, Zuko continued, his words halting and fearful. "I… I've always wanted you to be safe."

_Here it is. Finally. Thank you, Ursa…_

"It's just… now that we're engaged, and getting married, and sharing our lives, and pretty much our souls… well, I just felt this new responsibility for you. I guess… I figured… well, you were, you _are_, going to be mine, and… No! I don't mean it like that! You're a person, well you're a girl, and you're _my _girl, but you're independent too! And well, I'm just trying to say that…"

Katara barely restrained an affectionate giggle, and Zuko flushed, his shoulders drooping in defeat. Leave it to Zuko to screw up an apology! He just needed some encouragement, though. Katara stood from her bed and crossed to the door, flinging her arms around a surprised Zuko's neck and burying her head in his chest, beaming. After a moment of pleased shock, Zuko returned the embrace, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you," Katara sighed contentedly, enjoying Zuko's warm embrace for the first time in months.

"I love you, too. And… I'm really sorry. I know you can take care of yourself. It's just, I love you so much, and I don't want anything to happen to you, and if it did, I don't know what I-"

"Zuko."

"Yes?"

"Stop rambling."

"Right. Sorry…"

* * *

The next thing Zuko knew, his fiancé's hands were laid gently on his temples again, carrying with them cleansing water. The healing liquid seemed to wash the stain of his nightmares away like chalk off a sidewalk in the rain, never to return again.

* * *

**Ah… it's long. I know, and I apologize if the length bothers you. I just really, **_**really**_** didn't want to split this. And the reason Zuko's nightmares won't be coming back this time is because he's finally accepted the fact that he can't always be there to protect Katara, but he would never do anything to hurt her either,b ecause he loves her so much. Just clearing it up for anyone! :) And apparently, considering the improved number of reviews I've gotten, begging for reviews works! :P gets down on hands and knees PLEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEEEE?? Nah, I'm just kidding! But seriously, REVIEW! XD**


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